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Reasons  Glory  " 
THE  LATE  EMPEROR  OF   CHINA 

From  an  original  Chinese  Painting  .formerly  in  the  possession  of  M' 'Morrison 


FIVE  YEARS  IN    CHINA. 


WITH  SOME  ACCOUNT  OF 


THE   GREAT  REBELLION, 


A^TT>  J±  DESCRIPTION   OE   ST.  HELENA. 


BY 

CHARLES   TAYLOR,   M.D., 

(FORMERLY  MISSIONARY  TO  CHINA), 

CORRESPONDING    SECRETARY   OF   THE    SUNDAY-SCHOOL    SOCIETY   OF   THE 
METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH,    SOUTH. 


NASHVILLE,  Tenn.  : 
J.   B.    McFEREIN,    PUBLISHER 

NEW  YORK :— DERBY  &  JACKSON. 
1860. 


T^' 


\i% 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1860,  by 

CHARLES  TAYLOR, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  District  of  South  Carolina. 


£3     (b    Y3 


W.  H.  Tinsox,  Printer  &  Stereotyper. 


i  or 


/ 


®0 

MY  VENERABLE  AND  BELOVED  FATHER, 

DR.  OLIVER   SWAIN   TAYLOR, 

FOR  FORTY  YEARS  AN  INSTRUCTOR  OF  YOUTH, 

THE  POSITIONS  OF  HONOR  AND  USEFULNESS  FILLED  BY  HUNDREDS  OF  HIS  PUPILS 
THROUGHOUT  THE  COUNTRY,  CONSTITUTE  THE  RECORD  OF  HIS  SUCCESS, 

girt 

TO  MY  HIGHLY  ESTEEMED  COUNSELLOR  AND  FRIEND, 

BISHOP   JAMES   OSGOOD   ANDREW, 

BY  WHOM  I  WAS  ORDAINED  AND  SENT  TO  CHINA, 
THIS     VOLUME    IS    AFFECTIONATELY    AND    RESPECTFULLY     DEDICATED. 


PREFACE. 


Many,  both  friends  and  strangers,  in  different  parts  of 
the  country,  where  I  have  conversed  and  lectured  on  China, 
have  repeatedly  urged  me  to  make  a  book.  I  have  at  last 
made  one,  and  here  it  is. 


CONTENTS, 


CHAPTER   I. 

HOW   WE   WENT   TO   CHINA. 

Parting  Exercises — Setting  Sail — Occupations  on  the  Ship— Sea-sick- 
ness— Sharks — Flying-Fish — Birds — Preaching — Route  of  Vessels 
to  China — At  the  Equator — Cape  of  Good  Hope — St.  Paul's  and 
Amsterdam— Hot  Springs — Marryatt's  Signals — Christmas  Island — 
Straits  of  Sunda — Java  and  Sumatra — Malays, 25 

CHAPTER   II. 

HOW   WE  REACHED   CHINA. 

Anjer — Fruits — Purveyors — Banyan  Tree — Dutch  Fort — May  lay  In- 
fants— "  Osmond  " — Mohammedans — Shock  of  an  Earthquake — 
Java  Sea — Straits  of  Banca — Tin  Mines — Malay  Pirates — China 
Sea— Beautiful  Sunsets— A  "  School "  of  Whales— Coast  of  China- 
Chinese  Sailors  and  their  "Junks" — a  Pilot — Hong-Kong, 35 

CHAPTER   III. 

HOW   HONG-KONG   APPEARED. 

How  Great  Britain  came  to  own  it — "  Fragrant  Streams  " — British 
Dignity — Pleasant  Reception— Town  of  Victoria— The  Chinese 
Portion — "  Coolies  " — Foreign  Buildings — The  "  Barracks  " — The 
Church — Morrison  Hill — "  Happy  Valley  " — Morrison  School — Mr. 
John  Morrisey — Rev.  Samuel  Brown — Mr.  William  A.  Macy — Rev- 
Charles  Gutzlaff,  D.D., 43 


Vlll  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  IV. 

GOING     TO     CANTON. 

Leaving  Hong-Kong — A  Fellow  PasseDger — Robbers — Dr.  and  Mrs. 
Sexton — Scenery  along  up  "  Pearl  River  " — Pagodas— Tombs — The 
11  Bogue  "  or  "  Bocca  Tigris  " — Forts — Wharapoa — Boat-women— 
Boats — War-j  unks — Flower-boats — More  Pagodas — "  Fan-kwei " — 
River  Population— Proper  Name  of  "  Canton" — Appearance  of  the 
City — Foreign  "  Gardens,"  and  *'  Factories  " — Peripatetic  Mer- 
chants, Artisans,  Tradesmen,  and  Mountebanks, 52 

CHAPTER  V. 

SOMETHING   ABOUT   CANTON   AND   AMOY. 

New  Friends — Seamen's  Bethel — Hospitals— Drs.  Parker  and  Hobson 
— Leang  Afa — Howqua's  Gardens — General  Description  of  Chinese 
Ornamental  Gardens — Flowers  and  Shrubbery — Distorting  and 
Dwarfing  Trees — Honan  Temple — Idols — Priests — "  Sacred  Pigs  " 
— "  did  "  and  "  New  China  Streets  "— "  Hog  Lane  "—Execution 
Ground — A  Typhoon — Return  to  Hong-Kong— Up  the  Coast — 
Headwinds — Amoy — Opium  Vessels — Fishing  Boats — Batteries — 
11  Queen  Bess  " — Native  City — Ku-lang-su — Missionaries — Islands 
— Mouth  of  the  Yang-tsz-kiang — "  Child  of  the  Ocean," 62 

CHAPTER  VI. 

DESCRIPTION    OF    SHANGHAI. 

River  Hwang-pu — Appearance  of  the  Country  along  its  Banks — 
Foreign  Town — Pleasant  Reception — Mission  Buildings — English 
Church — London  Mission  Premises — Yang-king-pang — Streets — 
French  Consulate— Graves — Coffins — Geomancy — Repositories  for 
Conine d-bodies—  "  Baby  Towers  " — City  Wall— Gates— Coins — 
Currency— Buildings — Streets — Sewers — Offal —  Shops  —  Pawnbro- 
kers— Various  Trades — Facilities  for  Missionary  Work, 75 

CHAPTER  VII. 

THE    HOUSES    THEY   LIVE   IN. 
Materials  used  and  Manner  of  Building — Floors — Oyster-shell  Win- 
dows— Courts — Walls — Doors — Ornamental      Work — Furniture — 
Idols — Ornaments — Wells — A    Residence     Procured — Servants — 


CONTENTS.  IX 

Cooking — Learning  to  Talk — Native  Politeness— Civilities — Mode 
of  Serving  Tea — Smoking  Tobacco— Opium — Snuff — Forms  of  Sa- 
lutation,   * 90 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

CHINESE  BEGGARS  AND  CHINESE  COSTUMES. 
Beggary — Dead  Bodies — Starvation — Benevolence  of  Foreigners — 
Gipsies — Extreme  Suffering — Drowned — Loathsomeness  and  Filth 
— Regular  Organization — • '  Beggar-King  " — Regulations  —  Punish- 
ments— Beating — Cutting  off  the  Queue — Description  of  the  dif- 
ferent Articles  of  Dress — Mode  of  Dressing  the  Hair — The  Queue — 
Headbands — Hats  and  Caps — Long  Nails — Use  of  Long  Sleeves — 
Materials  of  Clothing — A  Novel  Thermometer — Winter  Clothing — 
Boots  and  Shoes — Mode  of  indicating  Official  Rank — Yellow,  the 
Imperial  Color — Mark  of  Respect  to  Age — Binding  the  Feet  of 
Females — Origin  of  the  Custom, 99 

CHAPTER  IX. 

CHINESE   NEW   YEAR. 

Worship  in  Temples — Costume — Gloves — Furs — Amusing  Appear- 
ance of  Children — "  City  Guardian's  Temple  " — Being  taken  for  an 
Idol — Temple  of  Confucius — Burning  Articles  for  the  use  of  the 
Dead — Manner  of  Mourning — Immense  number  of  Graves — Gene- 
ral Appearance  of  surrounding  Country — Tenanted  Coffins  kept 
in  Dwellings — Coffins  left  unburied  in  the  Fields — A  Settlement  of 
Beggars — Their  Condition — Tricks  to  excite  Compassion — The 
Blind — A  Native  little  Girl — Religious  Instruction — Discourage- 
ments— Encouragements, 113 

CHAPTER  X. 

WHAT  AND  HOW  THEY  EAT — MARRIAGE. 

Vegetable  Productions — Animal  Food— Cattle — Poultry — "Shanghai 
Fowls  " — Artificial  Egg-hatching — Raising  Ducks — Fishing — Eating 
Rats,  Puppies,  etc, — "Bird-nest  Soup"— Shark  Fins— Fruits — Pecu- 
liarities of  Oranges  and  Persimmons — Other  Fruits — "Japan 
Plum  "—Nuts— Sugar— Modes  of  Cooking— Use  of  Oils— "  Hen-Egg 
Cakes  "—Abhorrence  of  Butter  and  Cheese— Native  Names  for 
these    Articles— Milk— Mode     of     Eating—  "  Chopsticks  "—Ideas 


X  CONTENTS. 

of  Politeness — A  Chinese  Feast — Great  Number  of  Courses — An 
Intoxicating  Drink — Manufacture  of  Salt,  a  Government  Monopoly 
— Smuggling — Mode  of  Contracting  Marriages — A  "  Go-between  " 
— Betrothal — Marriage  Ceremonies — Amusements, 126 

CHAPTER  XI. 

NOTIONS  OF  MEDICINE  AND  DISEASE — PUNISHMENTS — 
PAU-SHAN. 

Medical  Practice — Native  Ideas  of  Medicines  and  Anatomy — Diseases 
— Smallpox — Singular  mode  of  Inoculation — Letters — Chinese 
Names  and  Titles — Modes  of  Punishment — Beating — The  "  Cangue" 
— Great  Severity  and  Barbarity — City  Prison — "  Squeezing  " — The 
Wooden  Cage — Modes  of  Capital  Punishment — Beheading — Stran- 
gulation— Modes  of  Suicide — Its  Object — Flaying  Alive — Cutting  to 
Pieces — A  Trip  to  Pau-shan — Description  of  the  City — High  em- 
bankment— Battery — Cannon — Scene  of  a  Battle  —Chinese  Bravery 
— Deification  of  a  General  after  his  Death, 139 

CHAPTER  XII. 

PREPARATION  OF  TEA-— AGRICULTURE — FUEL. 

Modes  of  preparing  "  Green  Tea"  and  "  Black  Tea" — Prussian  Blue 
— Personal  Observation — Signification  of  the  different  Names  of  Teas 
— Agricultural  Implements — Two  Varieties  of  Oxen — Culture  of 
Rice — Mode  of  Manuring — Floating  Gardens — Fuel — Wood — Coal 
— Hand  and  Foot  Stoves — How  Beds  are  warmed  in  Winter — 
The  "  Bamboo  "  or  Cane — Its  many  Uses — Sedans — How  made — 
Funeral  Processions — Customs  on  such  occasions, 151 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

FEAST   OF   LANTERNS — FAMINE — FUNERAL   RITES. 

Tower  of  Lanterns— Fireworks — The  "  Dragon  Lantern  " — Origin  of 
the  Holiday — Superstitious  Practices  on  that  Day — Arrival  of  my 
Colleague  at  Shanghai— Famine — Extreme  Suffering — Charity  of 
Foreign  Merchants — Worship  of  Ancestors — Rites  for  the  Dead — 
Modes  of  burial— Ancient  Tombs — "  Mass  for  the  Dead  " — Change 
of  Residence, , 161 


CONTENTS.  XI 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

Passages  from  my  Journal — Birds— An  Old  Grave — A  Liberal  Allow- 
ance— Life  on  Boats — A  Drowned  Boy — Death  of  our  Babe — Rev. 
Dr.  Medhurst — A  Trip  into  the  Country — Monumental  Tablets — 
Preaching  and  Tract  Distribution — Death  of  the  Emperor  Tau- 
Kwang — "Reason's  Glory" — Accession  of  Hien-Foong — Death  of 
Empress  Dowager — Beautiful  Sentiments, 115 

CHAPTER  XV. 

EXTRACTS   FROM  JOURNAL. 

Building  our  Houses — Chapels— Schools — Birds — Tracts — Catechism 
— Medical  Practice — Book  Distribution — Conversation  with  an  Idol- 
ater— A  Sunday's  Work — A  Day  in  my  Chapel — Synopsis  of  a  Tract 
— Another  Sunday — An  Accident  and  Death — Removal  of  a  Tumor 
from  a  Man's  Nose — The  "  Tea-Gardens  " — A  Trip  into  the  Country 
— A  Crooked  Stream — Mode  of  Planting  Cotton — Preaching — A 
"Wheelbarrow  Ride, 187 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

CHINESE   LANGUAGE SCHOOLS INVENTIONS — ODDITIES. 

Character  of  the  Language — Number  of  Characters — Radicals — Illus- 
tration— Native  Dictionaries — "Four  Books"  of  Confucius — Other 
Classics  and  Writers — Literature — Spoken  Dialects — "Pidjin-Eng- 
lish  " — Schools — Singular  Mode  of  Studying  and  Reciting — School 
Text-Books—Manner  of  Writing— Of  Book-Making— Printing — Gun- 
powder— Mariners'  Compass — Chinese  History — Their  Ideas  of  other 
Countries — A  Native  "Map  of  the  World" — Amusing  Absurdities — 
Arithmetic — Book-Keeping — Literary  Degrees — Corruption — Filial 
Respect — Seat  of  Intelligence — "Peking  Gazette"— Postal  Arrange- 
ment—Mode  of  Reckoning  Time—"  Time-Sticks," 205 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

CHINESE   MILITARY — "ALL   SOULS'    DAY." 

A  Military  Review — Their  Uniform — Martial  Music — Archers — An 
Incident  —  Fire- Arms  —  Match-locks  —  Jinjals  — A  Chastisement — 
Small  Arms— Shields — Gymnastics — Rewards — "All  Soul's  Day  " — 
Its  Origin — Procession  of  Idols — They  take  an  Airing  in  Sedans — 
Burning  Gilt  Paper  to  provide  the  Dead  with  Money — Address  to 
the  Multitude, 217 


XI 1  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

INFANTICIDE  —  CHARITABLE  INSTITUTIONS RELIGIONS 

THEATRICALS OPPOSITES. 

Infanticide — Causes — Extent — Foundling  Hospital— Native  Dispensary 
— Charity  Schools — Three  Forms  of  Idolatry — Confucius  and  his 
System — Mencius — Tauism — Buddhism — Time  and  Mode  of  its  In- 
troduction into  China — Tenets — A  Recluse — Ideas  of  a  Future 
State — Resemblance  to  Romanism — Various  Deities — Pagodas — 
Lung-hwa-tah — Native  Theatricals — Odd  Differences, 227 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

INCIDENTS. 

A  Foundling — Air-Castle  Building — "  Reckoning  without  the  Host" — 
Disappointment — A  Boat-Trip  to  Tsayn-so— Inundation — The  City 
— Preaching  and  Tract  Distribution — "Bread  on  the  Waters,"  240 


CHAPTER  XX. 


Chinese  New  Year  again— Making  Calls — Sending  Presents — Fire- 
works— Kitchen  gods — Visit  from  Schools — A  benevolent  Mer- 
chant— His  Almoner — Spinning — An  incident — Gratitude — Difficul- 
ties— Hope — Probable  destiny  of  Shanghai — Drought — Procession 
of  Rain  Dragons — Chinese  Theory  of  Rain — Proclamation — Solem- 
nities— Crops, 250 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

A   TRIP   TO   BU-CHAU- 

Taking  boat— Disguise— The  "  Gem  Hill  City  "— "  Pheasant  Mound  " 
— Variety  of  Junks  and  Boats — Grain  Junks — Timber — Canals — 
Bridges — Temples — Pagodas — "  Great  Lake  " — "  Lion  Hills  " — 
"  Hill  Pools"—'4  Tiger  Den  Hill "— "  Thousand  Men  Rock"— Beau- 
tiful Shops  and  Streets— Return  to  Shanghai, 261 


CONTENTS.  Xiii 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

SINGULAR  CUSTOMS. 
Worship  of  Ancestors — Paper  Money — Offerings  to  the  Dead — A 
Wailing  Widow— Shallow  Grief— The  "  God  of  Wealth"— Offerings 
to  it— Its  Temple— "  Man's  Birthday  "—The  "Five  Grains"— 
"Fuel" — "Rice" — "  Mandarin's  Day" — Influx  of  Paupers — "  Open- 
ing the  Seals" — Modes  of  asserting  Innocence  and  Detecting  Guilt 
— Forms  of  Oaths — Gods  lose  their  Reputation — Practice  of  Weigh- 
ing annually  on  the  first  day  of  Summer — Departure  of  Family 
for  the  United  States,    272 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

JOURNEY  TO   NAN-KING,  THE   ANCIENT  CAPITAL  OF  CHINA. 

Signification  of  the  Name — My  Chinese  Costume — Su-chau— Grand 
Canal — Custom  House — Bridges — Boats — City  of  Vu-sih — Hills — 
Novel  mode  of  Fishing — Fishing  Cormorants — Grain-junks — City 
of  Chang-chau — City  of  Tan-yang — Adventure  with  a  Barber — 
Wheelbarrow  ride— Face  of  Country — City  of  Chin-kiang-fu — Kin- 
shan,  or  Golden  Island — Cast  iron  Pagoda, 285 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

JOURNEY  TO   NAN-KING   CONTINUED. 

Another  Wheelbarrow  Ride — Clear  Water — A  Night's  Lodging — 
Summer  Palace  of  a  former  Emperor — Stone  Road — Modes  of 
Conveyance — Approach  to  Nan-king — Tomb  of  an  Emperor — An- 
cient City— Gates — Tartar  City — Streets — Ox-cart — Site  of  Impe- 
rial Palace — Public  Offices — The  celebrated  "Porcelain  Tower" — 
A  native  description  of  it — A  Donkey-ride — Face  of  Country — 
Terracing  Hills— Modes  of  Irrigation, 298 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

WHAT   THEY  THINK   OF   ECLIPSES   AND   EARTHQUAKES. 

Native  Astronomers — The  Popular  Theory — "  Sun-Eating" — Worship 
of  the  Monster — Noises   to   frighten  Him — An  Earthquake— Its 


XIV  CONTENTS. 

Effects — Native  Theory — Ceremony  of  "Welcoming  the  Spring" 
—The  "  Spring  Ox" — Presiding  Deity  of  the  Year" — A  Procession 
—"Beating  the  Ox"— " Welcoming  the  God  of  Joy"— A  Female 
Deity — Worship — Military  Evolutions — Rewards, . .  811 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

THE   GREAT   REBELLION. 

Place  of  Origin — Progress — Title  of  the  Leader— Strange  Doctrines 
— Knowledge  of  Old  Testament — Anxiety  of  Foreigners — Arrival 
of  Hon.  Humphrey  Marshall — Bayard  Taylor — Attempt  of  the 
"  Susquehannah  " — Failure — Successful  Trip  of  the  "Hermes" 
— Sir  George  Bonham — Chin-kiang-fu — Grand  Canal — Grain  for 
Peking — Capt.  Fishbourne — An  Attack  from  the  Insurgents — Arri- 
val at  Nanking — Interview  with  the  Insurgents — Their  Books — A 
Second  Attack — Fire  returned — Return  of  the  "Hermes" — Set  out 
myself — Trip  up  the  Yang-tsz-kiang — Appearance  of  the  Country 
— Foo-shan — Occurrences  at  a  Village — Our  Native  Assistant — 
Kiang-Yin — Pirates — Dead  bodies — Burnt  Junks  —  Running  a 
Blockade — "  Silver  Island  " — Its  Temples — Destruction  of  Idols — 
Forlorn  Priests — Timidity  of  Boatmen — Return  to  Shanghai, . .  325 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

SECOND  TRIP   TO  THE   INSURGENT  CAMP. 

New  Boatmen — Run  the  Blockade  again — Refusal  of  Boatmen  to 
Proceed — Going  Alone  on  Foot — A  "Levee"  on  the  River-bank — 
A  Foot-path — Approach  to  Fortifications — Difficult  Progress — Ob- 
structions— Entering  the  Fortress — A  Strange  Visitor — Appearance 
of  the  Insurgents — Motley  Crowds — Arms  and  Defences — Condition 
of  Chin-kiang-fu — Strange  Sounds — General  Lo — Awkward  Mistake 
— Presenting  him  a  Bag  of  Copies  of  the  Gospels — The  Costnme 
of  the  Soldiers — Morning  Worship — Asking  a  Blessing — Unfortu- 
nate Coincidence — Attack  by  Imperialists — Suspected  of  being  a 
Spy — Letter  of  General  Lo — Cavalcade  by  Torchlight — Provisions 
— A  Night  on  a  War-Junk — Effort  to  remove  Suspicion — Medical 
Relief— Extract  from  Journal, 339 


CONTENTS.  XV 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

HISTORY   OF   TAI-PING-WONG,   THE   REVOLUTIONARY 
LEADER. 

Literary  Examinations  at  Canton — Receives  a  Christian  Tract — Has  a 
Vision — Diligent  Study — Renounces  Idolatry — Returns  to  Canton 
— Receives  Instruction — Disappears — When  next  Heard  of — Perse- 
cuted— Self-defence— Numbers  Multiply — The  Miau-tsz — "  Triad 
Society  " — Singular  Proclamations-"-Fanatical  Errors — Form  of 
Prayer — Present  Condition, 361 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 

A  TYFOON — THE   HILLS — CAPTURE   OF   SHANGHAI 

INCIDENTS. 
A  Tyfoon — Destruction  of  Property  and  Life — One  of  the  Sufferers 
— A  Trip  to  "  the  Hills  " — Companions — Employment — "  Seven 
Pearls  " — "  Four  Streams  " — Hills — Temples— Pagodas— Groves — 
Flowers  and  Shrubbery — A  Mausoleum — A  Leaning  Tower — Fall 
of  Shanghai — Bands  of  Outlaws — Murder  of  the  Mayor — Distress 
and  Alarm — Visit  to  the  Bandit  Chief — He  accepts  and  makes  pub- 
lic a  Proclamation  of  Tai-ping-wong  against  Idolatry — Adventure 
with  Robbers— A  Brave  Army,   3*72 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

THE   VOYAGE   HOMEWARD. 

Cause  of  leaving  China — Departure  in  the  "  Torrent " — Capt.  Copp 
— A  Fine  Run — A  Terrible  Tyfoon — Sea-sickness — Loss  of  my 
Chinese  dress — Damages  to  the  Ship — A  Fellow-Passenger — Time 
for  Reading — Sight  of  Islands  — The  Anambas  —  Splendid  Sun- 
sets—Crossing the  Equator— The  "Doldrums" — Winged  Visitors 
— Reaching  Java  —  Duties  of  Ship-Surgeon — Our  Sable  Cook — 
— Anjer — Strait  of  Sunda — Boats  with  Supplies — Turtles — "  Mouse 
Deer  " — Tedious  Days — Storms — Calms — The  Albatross — Porpoises 
— Whales — Sharks — Coast  of  Africa — Cape  of  Good  Hope — Preach- 
ing on  Ship-board — Christmas-day — Sabbaths  at  Sea — Two  Sum- 
mers in  One  Year — New  Appearance  of  the  Heavens — The  "  Ma- 
gellan Clouds"— The  "  Southern  Cross," 383 


XVI  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XXXI. 

TWO    DAYS   AT   ST.   HELENA — PRISON    OF    THE    FIRST 
NAPOLEON. 

Appearance  of  the  Island  from  the  Sea — Batteries  and  Fortifications — 
"Ladder  Hill" — "Pearce's  Revenge" — Jamestown — the  "Castle" 
— Promenade — Moat — Landing-Place — The  Town — View  from  the 
Anchorage — "The  Briars"— Ride  to  "Longwood" — General  De- 
scriptions— Yolcanic  Origin — Flowers,  Shrubbery,  and  Trees — 
Nadoleon's  Tomb— Old  Sally— "Vale  of  Arno "—Residence  of 
Napoleon  at  "Longwood" — His  Fishpond — "New  House" — Sandy 
Bay  Valley — "  Plautation  House  " — Country  Church — Return  to 
Town — Rev.  Dr.  Bertram — Mission  Chapel — Second  Ride  into 
the  Country — " Francis'  Plain " — "Rose  Bower" — Astronomers — 
"  Knollcombe  " — Mission  Cemetery — Return  to  Town — Sail  from 
the  Island, 394 


FIVE  YEAKS  IN  CHINA. 

CHAPTER  I. 

HOW    WE    WENT   TO    CHINA. 

Parting  Exercises — Setting  Sail — Occupations  on  the  Ship — Sea-sick- 
ness— Sharks — Flying-Fish — Birds — Preaching — Route  of  Vessels 
to  China — At  the  Equator — Cape  of  Good  Hope — St.  Paul's  and 
Amsterdam — Hot  Springs — Marryatt's  Signals — Christmas  Island — 
Straits  of  Sunda — Java  and  Sumatra — Malays. 

We  sailed  from  Boston  on  a  gloomy  Monday  after- 
noon, the  24th  of  April,  1848.  It  was  cloudy,  and 
a  raw,  chilling  wind  was  blowing  from  the  north- 
east. Farewell  religious  services  were  performed  on 
the  deck  of  the  little  ship  "  Cleone,"  as  she  still  lay 
alongside  the  wharf.  The  "  Missionary  Hymn  "  was 
sung,  an  earnest  address  delivered,  and  we  all  kneeled 
in  prayer  on  the  deck  of  the  ship,  with  our  heads  un- 
covered to  the  sky.  It  was  a  solemn  hour.  Sad 
farewells  were  spoken,  though  none  of  our  immediate 
relatives  were  present,  but  there  were  several  friends 
who  had  shown  us  much  attention  and  kindness  dur- 
ing our  sojourn  of  two  weeks  in  Boston,  while  wait- 
ing for  the  ship.  Ardent  wishes  for  a  safe  and 
pleasant  voyage  were  uttered  ;  Christian  hearts  beat 

2 


20  FIVE   YEARS   IN   CHINA. 

with  a  sympathy  which  found  expression  mostly  in 
looks  and  tears — words  were  few.  The  ship  was 
unfastened  from  her  moorings ;  the  ropes  rattled 
through  the  pulleys ;  the  sails  flapped  angrily  in  the 
wind,  while  the  sailors  pulled  them  to  their  proper 
places,  accompanying  their  exertions  with  a  lively 
song,  the  chorus  of  which  was,  u  Yo-heave-O,  Yo- 
heave-O."  Soon  we  were  out  in  the  harbor,  and 
speeding  on  our  way,  while  handkerchiefs  were 
waved  from  the  shore,  and  from  the  ship  in  reply,  as 
long  as  they  could  well  be  seen.  By  and  by  the  city 
disappeared,  then  the  forts  at  the  entrance  to  the 
harbor,  then  the  islands ;  and  finally,  nothing  could 
be  seen,  save  a  long,  dim  outline  of  the  mainland, 
like  a  dark,  blue  cloud  in  the  distant  horizon.  We 
gazed  and  gazed  upon  it  long  and  sadly,  until  at  last, 
our  loved  native  land — never  before  so  tenderly 
loved  as  then — receded  from  the  view — of  one  of  us, 
forever*  I  strained  my  eyes  till  they  ached,  to 
catch  one  more  glimpse  of  it,  but  all  in  vain.  It 
seemed  to  me  almost  like  dying ;  for  at  that  time  I 
little  expected  ever  to  see  that  land  again.  I  was 
keenly  alive  to  the  sacrifice  I  was  making,  but  as  I 
turned  and  went  down  into  the  cabin,  I  said  to 
myself:  "This  is  all  for  Christ;"  and  then  I  was 
comforted  and  content ;  for  it  was  but  very  little, 
after  all,  for  Him  who  had  done  and  suffered  so  much 
for  me. 

Our  cabin  was  about  ten  by  fourteen  feet  square, 
and  seven  feet  high,  with  a  sleeping  apartment — - 
called,  by  way  of  irony,  I  suppose,  a  state-room — on 

*  Mrs.  Mary  Jane  Jenkins,  the  wife  of  my  colleague,  Rev.  Ben- 
j  amin  Jenkins,  who  died  on  the  voyage  back,  four  years  after. 


HOW    WE   WENT  TO   CHINA.  27 

each  side.  These  state-rooms  were  six  feet  long, 
four  feet  wide,  and  of  the  same  height  as  the  cabin. 
Each  room  had  two  berths,  or  shelves,  for  sleeping 
on,  with  pieces  of  plank  about  seven  inches  wide,  on 
the  outer  side  to  keep  you  from  falling  out.  The 
berths  were  two  feet  wide,  which  left  you  but  two 
feet  by  six  for  washing  and  dressing.  Such  was  our 
bedroom  for  four  mortal  months — my  wife  and  my- 
self occupying  each  a  berth,  and  our  infant,  of  six 
months,  the  space  on  the  floor.  My  colleague,  with 
his  wife  and  two  children,  stowed  themselves  away 
(as  the  sailors  would  say)  in  the  room  opposite,  of 
about  the  same  dimensions.  His  two  eldest  boys 
had  one  of  the  three  state-rooms  that  were  on  each 
side  of  the  dining-cabin,  on  the  deck,  to  which  a 
flight  of  steps  led  from  the  centre  of  our  cabin. 

"We  had  a  storm  during  the  first  night,  to  start 
upon,  and  the  next  morning  found  us  all,  except  the 
youngest  children,  terribly  sea-sick.  Infants  scarcely 
ever  experience  this  malady,  from  which  so  few  older 
persons  are  exempt.  Several  of  us  hardly  left  our 
berths,  except  for  a  few  minutes  at  a  time,  for  some 
days.  "We  were  not  able  to  go  to  the  table,  though 
fortunately  we  required  but  little  food ;  and  yet  our 
ill-natured  captain  grumbled  at  having  to  send  us 
even  that.  He  even  had  the  carpet  taken  up,  and 
left  us  on  the  cold  bare  floor.  There  we  lay  helpless, 
all  huddled  together  down  in  our  diminutive  cabin. 
Those  horrible  days  and  nights  rise  up  before  me 
now,  as  about  the  gloomiest  I  have  ever  passed. 
After  a  week  or  two,  however,  we  all  recovered,  the 
weather  became  pleasant,  and  we  arranged  things  in 
our  narrow  quarters  so  as  to  become  tolerably  com- 


28  FIVE   YEAR3   IN   CHINA. 

fortable.  The  motion  of  the  ship  continued  with 
greater  or  less  violence  throughout  the  entire  voyage, 
except  during  calms,  and  sometimes  then  also,  from 
what  sea- faring  men  call  a  "  ground  swell ;  but  as  we 
had  passed  through  the  initiation,  we  were  not  disagree- 
ably affected  by  it.  In  our  attempts  to  walk,  our 
movements  were  often  precisely  like  those  of  a  man 
who  has  been  drinking  freely  of  something  stronger 
than  water.  It  was  highly  amusing  to  see  one  of  the 
ladies  or  children,  sent  rolling  or  tumbling  from  one 
side  of  the  cabin  to  the  other ;  and  still  more  amus- 
ing when,  sometimes  at  the  table,  a  sudden  lurch  of 
the  ship  would  empty  plates  of  soup,  or  dishes  of 
meat  and  gravy,  into  the  laps  of  those  who  happened 
at  the  time  to  be  sitting  on  the  lower  side ;  or,  to  use 
the  sea-phrase,  to  leeward.  Only  a  few  times  during 
the  voyage  was  the  sea  so  rough  that  we  could  not 
sit  at  the  table.  Then  we  sat  on  the  floor,  braced 
ourselves  against  the  sides  of  the  cabin,  by  placing 
our  feet  against  the  table  legs,  or  something  else  im- 
movable, and  took  our  food  in  our  hands. 

"We  finally  became  so  accustomed  to  our  condition, 
that  we  could  read  and  study  much  of  the  time ; 
the  ladies  could  sew,  and  chat  pleasantly  together ; 
and  the  children  could  play  almost  as  merrily  as  on 
land,  except  when  our  cross-grained  captain  would 
curse  them  for  making  a  noise,  or  for  being  in  the 
way.  He  had  no  children  of  his  own.  Sharks  were 
often  seen  during  the  voyage,  following  the  ship. 
One  day  we  caught  a  small  one  with  a  large  hook, 
baited  with  a  piece  of  pork.  As  soon  as  he  was 
pulled  in  on  deck,  the  sailors,  who  always  entertain 
the  most  bitter  animosity  against  these  terrible  mon- 


HOW   WE   WENT  TO   CHINA.  29 

sters,  by  whom  so  many  of  their  comrades  have  lost 
life  or  limb,  plunged  their  knives  into  him  with 
hearty  spitefulness.  Flying-fish  were  frequently  seen, 
and  occasionally  one  would  fly  upon  the  deck  of  our 
ship.  They  are  about  the  size  of  herrings,  having  the 
lateral  fins  elongated,  so  as  to  become  wings.  We 
also  had  the  company  of  birds  throughout  the  voyage. 
Sea-gulls,  "  Mother  Gary's  chickens,"  cape  pigeons, 
and  albatrosses  were  seen,  some  or  other  of  them 
flying  about  the  ship  every  day. 

On  the  second  or  third  Sunday  after  leaving  Bos- 
ton, we  asked  permission  of  the  captain  to  have  pub- 
lic service  on  the  open  deck  of  the  ship,  at  which  the 
sailors  might  be  present.  He  consented,  rather  re- 
luctantly. All  the  sailors  who  were  "  off  duty " 
attended,  dressed  in  their  best  attire,  and  seemed 
interested,  or  at  least  gratified.  The  first-mate  was 
the  most  profane  man  I  ever  heard  :  nor  did  he  re- 
gard the  presence  of  the  ladies.  He  attended  the 
preaching  but  once,  I  think  ;  and  the  captain  per- 
haps twice.  On  all  subsequent  occasions,  they  sat  a 
little  distance  from  us,  around  the  corner  of  the  cabin, 
reading  novels  or  conversing.  Finding  that  the  ser- 
vice was  so  manifestly  disagreeable  and  annojdng  to 
the  captain,  we  thought  it  prudent,  after  a  few  times, 
to  discontinue  it. 

Gentle  reader,  if  you  are  curious  to  know  the  gene- 
ral direction  pursued  by  our  vessel  in  order  to  reach 
China,  just  take  a  map,  and  trace  a  line  from  Boston, 
directly  eastward,  till  you  bring  it  near  the  Azores,  or 
Western  Islands.  In  that  vicinity  we  fall  in  with  the 
northeast  trade- winds,  which,  as  you  know,  blow  con- 
stantly from  that  direction  toward  the  equator.      As 


30  FIVE   TEAKS   IN   CHINA. 

you  approach  the  equator,  these  winds  become  lighter 
aud  lighter,  and  finally  cease  altogether.  Then  you 
have  calms  for  several  days,  and  sometimes  weeks. 
During  these,  scarce  a  breath  of  air  visits  your  burn- 
ing cheek,  night  nor  day.  At  noon  the  sun  is  exactly 
vertical ;  and  if  you  stand,  at  that  hour,  on  the 
scorching  deck,  your  form  does  not  cast  the  least  sha- 
dow. Often,  the  ocean — as  far  the  eye  can  reach, 
that  is,  till  the  water  is  merged  into  the  sky,  in  the 
far-away  horizon — is  like  a  "  sea  of  glass,"  and  reflects 
the  rays  of  the  tropical  sun  "  as  it  were  a  sea  of  glass 
mingled  with  fire."  What  with  drifting,  patience, 
and  occasional  puffs  of  wind,  you  finally  get  across 
this  enchanted  region,  and  keep  on  the  course  you 
took  from  the  Azores  toward  the  coast  of  South 
America.  We  came  within  two  hundred  miles  of 
Brazil,  and  vessels  sometimes  go  near  enough  to 
see  it,  even  while  bound  for  China.  Thence,  still  fol- 
lowing the  route  of  prevailing  winds,  you  steer  south 
of  east,  for  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope.  Ships  going 
eastward,  seldom  go  within  sight  of  the  Cape,  but 
keep  about  two  degrees  to  the  southward,  to  avoid 
the  adverse  winds  and  currents  that  sweep  around  it 
from  the  east.  When  off  the  Cape,  and  one  hundred 
and  fifty  miles  south  of  it,  we  found,  as  is  usual  at 
that  season  of  the  year,  which,  though  toward  the 
last  of  June,  is  always  midwinter  in  those  latitudes — 
strong  westerly  winds.  Borne  on  by  these,  at  the 
rate  of  two  hundred  or  more  miles  a  day,  for  some 
three  weeks,  directly  eastward,  we  find — near  the 
coast  of  Australia — the  southeast  "  trades,"  as  (navi- 
gators call  the  trade-winds,)  and  then  change  our 
course  to  due  north,  steering  for  the  western  extre- 


HOW   WE   WENT   TO   CHINA.  31 

mity  of  the  island  of  Java.  Remember,  that  in  all 
this  time — about  three  months — we  had  seen  no  land 
since  leaving  our  native  shores.  In  the  Indian  Ocean, 
about  midway  between  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  and 
Australia,  are  two  little  solitary  islands — St.  Paul's 
and  Amsterdam.  Navigators  who  have  visited  them 
tell  us,  that  on  one  there  is  a  bold  spring  of 
boiling  water,  gushing  from  the  rocks,  and  so  near 
the  shore,  that  they  have  caught  fish  from  the  sea, 
with  a  rod  and  line,  and  without  moving  a  step  have 
thrown  them  over  and  cooked  them  in  the  spring, 
before  taking  them  from  the  hook.  These  islands 
are  often  seen  by  vessels  in  passing,  but  as  the  day 
on  which  we  sailed  by  them  was  foggy  and  cloudy, 
we  missed  a  sight  for  which  our  hearts  longed,  and 
for  which  our  eyes  were  eagerly  strained — a  sight  of 
much-wished-for  land  once  more. 

Almost  ninety  days — long  and  wearisome  days  and 
nights — had  passed  over  our  heads  since  we  left  Bos- 
ton. It  was  a  tiresome  thing  to  see  the  sun  come  up 
out  of  the  ocean,  pass  over  our  heads,  and  go  down 
into  the  ocean  again,  for  days,  and  weeks,  and  months 
— to  see  nothing  but  sea  and  sky,  and  sky  and  sea. 
The  clouds  above  and  the  water  around  us,  formed 
our  scenery,  now  and  then  relieved  by  a  passing  ship, 
that  would  sometimes  be  just  visible  for  a  few  hours 
in  the  distance.  Occasionally  we  would  fall  in  with 
one  sailing  in  the  same  direction  with  ourselves,  and 
would  be  in  her  company  for  several  days.  Some- 
times we  would  come  near  enough  one  to  the  other, 
to  enable  us,  with  the  help  of  the  spy-glass,  to  ascer- 
tain to  what  nation  she  belonged,  from  her  flag. 

There  are  several  systems  of  signals  by  which  ves- 


32  FIVE   YEARS   IN   CHINA. 

sels  can  converse,  as  far  apart  as  the  flags  of  different 
colors,  which  represent  certain  words  or  ideas,  can  be 
distinguished.  Those  invented  by  Capt.  Marryatt,  of 
the  British  navy,  are  in  most  general  use.  A  book, 
or  key  of  explanation,  accompanies  each  set  of  flags, 
and  so,  communication,  of  course  to  a  limited  extent, 
but  sufficient  for  all  necessary  purposes,  becomes 
comparatively  easy.  They  are  known  throughout 
the  maritime  world  as  "  Marryatt's  Signals." 

On  the  morning  of  the  eighty-eighth  day,  our  cap- 
tain, who  was  a  very  skillful  navigator,  said  to  us : 
"  About  noon  to-day,  if  you  look  directly  ahead,  you 
will  see  land  :  it  is  Christmas  Island ;  a  small  island 
about  a  hundred  miles  south  of  the  western  end  of 
Java."  All  eyes  were  in  requisition.  I  sat  on  the 
forecastle-deck,  and  was  the  first  to  discover  it.  Sure 
enough,  there  it  was,  a  dim,  cloud-like  line,  resting  on 
the  distant  horizon,  under  the  clear,  blue  sky  ;  for  it 
was  a  bright,  beautiful  day,  in  perfect  keeping  with 
the  joyous  event.  A  moment  more,  and  the  welcome 
cry  of  "  Land  !  land  !"  was  ringing  through  the  ship. 
Hands  were  clapped  for  joy,  while  faces  were  beam- 
ing and  hearts  were  beating  with  an  ecstasy  of  de- 
light. The  land  at  first  looked  like  a  heavy  mass  of 
dark-blue  clouds  in  the  distance,  resting  on  the  heav- 
ing bosom  of  the  ocean.  Then  it  became  more  and 
more  distinct,  till  at  last  it  loomed  up  before  us  a 
high,  rocky  mountain  islet,  partly  covered  with  a 
scanty  growth  of  diminutive  trees.  We  saw  multi- 
tudinous flocks  of  birds  about  the  island,  and  the 
waters  near  it  were  seen  to  be  teeming  with  fish  ;  but 
they  could  not  be  induced  to  bite  a  hook ;  probably 
because  we  had  no  fresh  bait.     Leaving  Christmas 


HOW   WE   WENT  TO   CHINA.  33 

Island  to  the  right,  we  sailed  on  exultingly,  and  be- 
fore night  saw  the  mountainous  promontory  of  Java. 
A  storm  that  night  prevented  us  from  approaching 
very  near,  lest  we  should  be  dashed  upon  the  rocks. 
So  we  "  stood  out  to  sea  "  again  till  daylight.  The 
morning  broke  in  upon  us  gloriously  :  the  ship  wse 
"  put  about,"  and  we  stood  in  for  the  shore.  That 
glad  day — the  twenty-third  day  of  July,  in  the  year 
of  grace  eighteen  hundred  and  forty-eight — was 
Sunday,  and  on  its  blessed  morning  we  entered  the 
Straits  of  Sunda,  with  hearts  swelling  with  thankful- 
ness for  our  preservation  thus  far  through  all  the 
dangers  of  the  deep. 

There  rose  up  grandly  before  us,  clothed  in  all 
the  luxuriant  richness  and  beauty  of  oriental  and  tro- 
pical foliage,  those  magnificent  islands — Java  on  the 
right  and  Sumatra  on  the  left — islands,  images  of 
which  had  so  often  filled  the  day-dreams  of  my  boy- 
hood as  still  retaining  the  gorgeous  vegetation  of  the 
first  Paradise  ;  nor  did  the  reality  fall  far  short  of  the 
splendid  picture  imagination  had  painted  on  the  walls 
of  memory,  in  the  chambers  of  the  far  back,  long, 
long  ago.  How  strangely  and  sadly  the  sight  of  the 
first  Pagans  impressed  me !  They  were  Malays. 
They  came  off  to  our  ship  in  their  dug-out  canoes, 
with  large,  three-cornered,  mat  sails.  They  also  had 
paddles,  to  use  in  case  of  need.  The  natives  were  of 
a  dark  copper  color ;  tall,  straight,  and  well-propor- 
tioned. They  generally  wore  only  a  piece  of  cotton 
cloth  about  the  middle,  and  another  wrapped  around 
the  head.  They  blacken  their  teeth  by  chewing  betel- 
nut,  for  the  sage  reason  that  dogs  have  white  teeth  ! 
Some  of  them  had  procured  from  ships,  as  they  fre- 

2* 


34  FIVE   YEARS   IN   CHINA. 

quently  pass  these  waters,  various  articles  of  civilized 
costume  ;  but  being  ignorant  as  to  the  proper  mode 
of  putting  them  on,  they  often  presented  the  most  ludi- 
crous figures  imaginable.  One  fellow  had  on  an  old 
broadcloth  dress-coat  next  to  his  skin,  then  a  dilapi- 
dated vest  over  that,  and  a  shirt  outside  of  all ;  his 
legs,  in  the  mean  time,  being  in  a  state  of  native 
nudity.  Thus  attired,  he  and  his  comrades,  in  equally 
grotesque  habiliments,  paced  up  and  down  the  deck 
of  our  vessel  (for  they  had  come  on  board  to  sell 
fruit),  with  as  lordly  an  air  as  if  they  owned  the 
ship. 


CHAPTER  II. 

HOW   WE   REACHED   CHINA. 

Anjer — Fruits — Purveyors— Banyan  Tree— Dutch  Fort— Maylay  In 
fants— w  Osmond  " — Mohammedans— Shock  of  an  Earthquake — 
Java  Sea— Straits  of  Banca— Tin  Mines — Malay  Pirates — China 
Sea— Beautiful  Sunsets— A  "  School "  of  Whales— Coast  of  China- 
Chinese  Sailors  and  their  "  Junks  "—a  Pilot— Hong-Kong. 

We  had  anchored  off  Anjer — a  Dutch  settlement  and 
military  post  on  Java.  During  the  two  days  of  our 
tarrying,  the  natives  brought  large  quantities  of  the 
finest  tropical  fruits  to  the  ship,  in  their  canoes,  to 
sell  or  barter,  as  the  case  might  be,  for  money  or  old 
clothes.  Monkeys,  also,  "  Java  sparrows,"  birds  of 
paradise,  parrots,  and  other  birds  of  rare  and  beauti- 
ful plumage,  and  some  of  sweet  song,  were  among  the 
commodities  offered  for  sale.  Some  of  these  natives 
were  regular  purveyors  to  ships,  and  had  small  mem- 
orandum-books in  which  were  written  certificates 
from  the  captains  whom  they  had  supplied.  These 
were  not  always  as  flattering  as  the  holders  imagined. 
They  sometimes  ran  in  this  style — "If  you  buy  any- 
thing from  the  bearer,  watch  him — he  is  the  great- 
est rascal  you  ever  saw,  and  will  cheat  you  if  he 
can." 

As   they  have    no    native    metallic    currency,   a 
variety  of  sea-shell,  called   "  cowrie,"  is  their  sub- 


36  FIVE   YEARS   IN   CHINA. 

stitute  for  small  coin.  Its  average  comparative 
value   is  at  the   rate   of   about  1000   for   a  dollar. 

For  a  day  or  two  our  ship  looked  more  like  a 
menagerie  and  a  fruit-market  than  anything  else. 
The  usual  price  for  cocoa-nuts  was  a  dollar  a  hun- 
dred ;  for  pine-apples,  twenty-five  cents  a  dozen  ; 
for  oranges  ten  cents  a  dozen ;  and  for  everything 
else  in  the  same  proportion.  There  were  dates,  too, 
and  a  kind  of  sugar  in  small  cakes,  something  like 
maple-sugar.  The  natives  called  it  "  joggery."  We 
also  took  in  fresh  provisions  for  the  remainder  of  our 
voyage.  Pigs,  geese,  ducks,  and  chickens,  with 
sweet  potatoes  and  yams  in  abundance,  were  pur- 
chased from  the  Malays.  This  presented  a  most 
agreeable  contrast  with  our  fare  up  to  this  time.  It 
had  been  very  coarse  and  meagre — entirely  inferior 
to  what  the  owners  of  the  ship  had  promised  us.  We 
afterward  learned  that  the  captain  had  reserved  for 
nis  own  exclusive  use,  on  the  voyage  back  to  the 
United  States,  most  of  the  delicacies  that  had  been 
put  on  board  for  his  passengers. 

On  Monday,  some  of  us  got  into  the  ship's  boat 
with  the  captain,  and  went  on  shore  at  Anjer.  As  I 
stepped  on  terra-firma  once  more,  old  mother  earth 
was  never  before  by  me  so  ardently  loved.  I  almost 
felt  as  if  I  must  stoop  down  and  kiss  the  dear  old 
lady.  The  first  object  that  attracts  your  attention  on 
approaching  the  shore,  is  a  large  banyan  tree,  be- 
neath whose  ample  shade  several  of  the  natives  were 
quietly  reclining.  Near  the  sandy  beach  on  which 
you  land  from  the  surf — for  there  was  no  wharf — was 
a  small  Dutch  fort,  and  here  and  there  a  soldier,  in 
faded,  dingy,  undress    uniform,  lounging  idly  about 


HOW    WE   REACHED   CHINA.  37 

under  the  banyan  tree,  which  stood  near  the  entrance 
to  the  fort.  The  streets,  or  rather  lanes,  of  this  Malay 
village  were  quite  narrow,  and  overgrown  with  grass. 
They  were  lined  on  each  side  with  cottages,  built  of 
bamboo  (canes),  and  thatched  with  long,  narrow 
leaves.  We  saw  but  two  shops  of  any  kind,  and 
these  contained  but  a  very  scanty  stock  of  goods, 
mostly  of  foreign  manufacture,  for  the  supply  of  ves- 
sels touching  at  the  island.  They  were  kept  by 
Chinamen  in  full  costume,  of  whom  there  are  many 
at  the  different  ports  of  the  East-India  islands.  The 
trees,  shrubbery,  flowers,  and  fruit — the  people  and 
their  dwellings — all  looked  strange  and  different  from 
any  I  had  ever  before  seen ;  but  the  chickens  looked 
and  crowed,  and  the  cats  looked  and  mewed,  like 
chickens  and  cats  in  a  Christian  land.  And  the  little 
Malay  babies  cried  and  laughed  and  played,  and 
said  "mamma,"  just  exactly  like  Christian  babies. 
I  felt  then  that  humanity  was  the  same  all  over  the 
world. 

The  man  who  furnished  most  of  the  supplies 
for  our  ship  was  named  Osmond,  and  he  seemed  to 
be  a  sort  of  chief  among  his  people.  He  was  well 
dressed,  in  a  costume  much  resembling  the  Turkish, 
and  was  very  civil,  agreeable,  and  polite.  He  invited 
us  into  his  cottage,  and  regaled  us  with  delicious  ban- 
anas, fresh  from  the  trees.  We  saw  no  females,  except 
a  half-grown  girl  who  seemed  to  be  the  nurse  to 
Osmond's  infant,  of  which  he  appeared  very  fond. 
We  inferred  that  the  women  are  kept  very  secluded. 
The  only  covering  worn  by  the  Malay  infants  was  a 
heart-shaped  plate  of  brass  about  four  inches  in  diame- 
ter, tied  by  a  string  around  the  middle  of  the  body. 


38  FIVE   YEAKS   IN   CHINA. 

The  natives  are  generally  Mohammedans,  and  there 
was  in  the  village  a  very  ancient  brick  building,  used 
as  a  mosque,  with  a  populous  graveyard  attached.  But 
we  were  informed  that  they  very  seldom  had  any  ser- 
vice.    It  is  going  to  ruin,  like  the  system  it  represents. 
Just  before  we  anchored,  we  all  felt  a  strong  and 
very  peculiar  jarring  sensation,  as  if  the  ship  had 
struck  upon  a  rock,  and  was  dragged  over  it,  with  a 
violent  scraping  of  the  keel  of  the  vessel  along  the 
whole  of  its  length.      At  first,  we  all  supposed  this 
was  really  the  case.     The  ship  seemed  to  get  off  in  a 
few  moments  ;  but,  after  a  little,  the  same  sensations 
occurred  again,  and  after  another  short  interval,  a 
third  time.     We  then  began  to  think  it  must  be  the 
shock  of  an  earthquake ;  and  when,  going  ashore  on 
the  next  day  (Monday),  we  visited  the  Dutch  officer 
in  command  at  Anjer,  we  learned  from  him  that  such 
was   the   fact.      He   had   felt   the   same  tremulous 
motions  at  the  same  hour  with  ourselves  on  the  day 
before,  and  said  they  were  common  in  that  region. 
Mrs.  Dr.  Medhurst,  the  wife  of  the  veteran  and  noble 
missionary,  told  us  in  Shanghai,  a  year  or  two  after, 
that  while  they  were  living  at  Batavia,  the  principal 
city  on  the  island  of  Java,  some  years  before,  such 
was  the  violence  of  these  commotions  beneath  the 
surface  of  the  earth  on  one  occasion,  that  several 
houses  were  thrown  down,  and  all  the  inhabitants  of 
the  town  rushed  out  of  doors,  to  avoid  being  buried 
beneath  the  ruins  of  their  dwellings.  These  islands,  and 
the  many  others  composing  the  vast  Eastern  Archi- 
pelago, are  evidently  of  volcanic  origin.     Travellers 
who  have  visited  the  interior  of  the  island  of  Java 
speak  of  having  seen  the  crater  of  an  extinct  volcano. 


HOW   WE   BEACHED   CHINA.  39 

Leaving  Anjer,  we  sailed  along  northwardly, 
through  the  Java  Sea,  keeping  Sumatra  in  sight  all 
the  time  on  our  left,  and  a  multitude  of  smaller 
islands  on  the  right,  till,  in  a  day  or  two,  we  entered 
the  Straits  of  Banca,  which  separate  an  island  of  the 
same  name  from  the  coast  of  Sumatra.  Banca  also 
belongs  to  the  Dutch,  and  is  celebrated  for  its  tin 
mines,  which  are  a  source  of  great  revenue  to  that 
government.  "We  saw  a  foreign  vessel  in  each  of 
two  or  three  harbors  along  its  coast,  which  we  pre- 
sumed was  loading  with  tin.  The  Strait  is  quite  nar- 
row, and  of  rather  dangerous  navigation,  both  from 
its  shallowness  and  from  the  difficulty  of  finding  the 
channel.  Vessels  sometimes  get  aground  here,  and 
some  have  been  captured  by  the  Malay  pirates  who 
infest  these  seas.  They  are  always  on  the  lookout  for 
ships  disabled  or  in  distress,  that  they  may  have*  a 
more  favorable  opportunity  to  murder  the  crew  and 
seize  the  cargo.  Our  own  ship  touched  bottom  once 
and  stuck  fast,  but  fortunately  the  tide  rose  in  a  few 
hours  and  floated  us  off.  Our  progress  was  neces- 
sarily slow,  and  we  were  followed  several  times  by 
large  Malay  proas,  as  their  vessels  are  called,  filled 
with  men — in  all  probability  pirates.  There  was,  on 
the  stern  of  our  ship,  a  small  cannon,  which  the  cap- 
tain had  loaded,  and  discharged  at  them.  Whether 
the  ball  took  effect  or  not,  we  could  not  tell ;  but 
the  fellows  immediately  turned  off  from  the  pur- 
suit probably  thinking  our  vessel  was  a  man-of- 
war,  and  that  it  would  not  be  safe  to  venture  an 
attack. 

A  few  days  of  pleasant  weather  and  light  winds 
brought  us  safely  through  these  perilous  waters,  and 


40  FIVE   YEARS    IN   CHINA. 

out  into  the  China  Sea.  Here  we  saw  more  gorge- 
ously glorious  sunsets  than  any  we  had  before  wit- 
nessed. The  varied  shapes,  hues,  brilliancy  and 
beauty  of  the  evening  clouds,  as  they  rolled  along 
up  the  sky  in  piled-up  splendor  and  magnificence, 
suggested  a  possible  resemblance  to  the  heaven-built 
palaces  and  gilded  battlements  of  the  New  Jeru- 
salem. 

One  evening  another  scene  of  novel  and  exciting 
interest  presented  itself.  It  was  a  "  school "  of 
whales.  A  great  number  of  these  leviathans  of  the 
deep  seemed  to  have  taken  it  into  their  heads  to  have 
a  general  frolic.  They  rolled  and  tumbled  their 
enormous  black  bodies  about  on  the  surface  of  the 
sea,  sporting  like  kittens.  Occasionally  they  came 
so  near  to  us  as  to  engender  the  fear  lest,  in  the  reck- 
lessness of  their  gigantic  play,  they  should  accidentally 
strike  the  ship  with  their  ponderous  forms,  and  sink 
it  to  the  bottom.  But  they  passed  on  at  last,  leaving 
us  unharmed. 

We  were  sailing  in  sight  of  the  coast  of  China 
several  days  before  we  came  to  the  first  port  of  our 
destination.  This  coast  appeared  totally  different 
from  what  I  had  before  imagined.  Basing  my  idea 
on  the  known  populousness  of  the  empire,  I  expected 
to  find  the  country  gradually  sloping  toward  the  sea, 
and  covered  with  multitudes  of  people,  all  in  full 
view,  busy  in  all  kinds  of  labor,  as  bees  in  a  hive ; 
with  their  numerous  cities,  towns  and  villages, 
crowded  thickly  together  in  every  direction.  Judge 
of  my  surprise,  when,  instead  of  these,  there  was 
nothing  to  be  seen  for  hundreds  of  miles  along  the 
coast  of  China  but  dark,  barren,  bleak,  precipitous, 


HOW   WE   REACHED    CHINA.  41 

cragged  rocks,  rising  almost  perpendicularly  from 
the  sea.  The  only  signs  that  we  were  in  the  vicinity 
of  an  inhabited  country,  were  the  fishing  "junks" 
that  we  saw — large  and  small,  occupied  by  the 
patient  Celestials,  wearing  coarse  straw  or  ratan  hats, 
with  cone-shaped  crowns,  beneath  which  were  coiled 
up  on  their  heads,  to  keep  them  out  of  the  way,  or 
hanging  down  their  backs,  tails  or  queues  of  straight, 
coarse,  thick  black  hair,  plaited,  and  often  long 
enough  to  reach  to  the  heels.  They  wore  very  full, 
loose  coats  and  pantaloons,  generally  made  of  coarse 
cotton  homespun,  dyed  blue  and  occasionally  brown. 
The  shoes  of  the  sailors  are  sometimes  wooden  "  dug- 
outs," but  oftener  made  of  coarse  cloth,  having  thick 
soles  consisting  of  many  layers  of  felt,  such  as  that 
of  which  hats  are  made.  Their  boats  are  very  clum- 
sily but  strongly  built,  and  are  kept  well  calked  and 
oiled,  but  not  painted.  The  sails  are  made  of  mats, 
or  of  coarse  cotton  or  bark  cloth,  generally  dyed  a 
dark,  reddish  brown.  The  material  used  for  dyeing 
this  color,  imparts,  it  is  said,  great  durability  to  the 
cloth. 

About  the  thirtieth  morning  after  we  left  Java,  one 
of  these  odd-looking  crafts  was  seen  approaching  our 
ship.  When  he  came  near  enough  to  be  heard,  one 
of  the  men  called  out : 

"  Good-ee  morning,  Cap-e-ting ;  you  wanchee  pilot  ? 
My  number  one  good  pilot." 

He  then  drew  alongside,  fastened  his  boat  to  the 
ship,  and,  climbing  up  the  side,  came  on  board. 

The  first  act  of  heathen  idolatry  I  ever  saw  was 
this  Chinaman  kneeling  before  a  rudely  carved 
wooden  image  a  few  inches  high,  bowing  his  head  to 


42  FIVE   TEAKS   IN   CHINA. 

the  deck  of  his  boat  several  times,  while  two  small 
red  wax  candles  and  some  slender  in  cease-sticks — 
about  as  large  as  knitting-needles,  and  composed  of 
fragrant  substances — were  burning  before  the  idol, 
which  represented  the  goddess  of  mercy  or  the 
"  Queen  of  Heaven  " — the  tutelary  diety  of  sailors 
and  fishermen.  How  it  shocked  us  and  how  we 
pitied  him !  And  he  was  but  one  of  the  millions 
whom  we  had  come  to  enlighten  and  try  to  save. 

After  much  discussion  with  our  captain  about  the 
price,  a  bargain  was  struck.  He  took  his  position  on 
the  quarter-deck,  near  the  man  at  the  helm,  and 
pointed  out  to  him  the  direction  to  steer  for  Hong 
Kong.  We  then  drew  near  the  rock-bound  coast, 
and  the  rocky  islands  that  fringe  it.  It  looks  as  if 
the  ship  was  running  directly  upon  the  rocks,  and  was 
in  danger  of  being  dashed  to  pieces.  As  yet,  there 
is  no  appearance  of  human  abode,  much  less  of  civil- 
ization, when  suddenly,  as  you  sail  around  the  jagged 
point  of  a  high,  hilly,  rocky  island,  having  some  ver 
dure  on  its  sides,  lo  !  there  bursts  upon  your  vision, 
as  if  by  the  touch  of  a  fairy  wand,  or  of  the  lamp  of 
Aladdin,  a  beautiful  town  of  white  houses,  with  glass 
windows  and  green  blinds,  well  built  on  the  hillside, 
and  arranged  in  streets.  To  crown  the  whole,  there 
is  the  steeple  of  a  Christian  church !  What  a  wel- 
come sight  to  our  wearied  eyes,  and  how  cheering  to 
our  anxious  hearts  !  That  is  the  town  of  Victoria, 
and  the  island  on  whose  bosom  it  so  beautifully  and 
quietly  nestles  is  Hong-Kong,  which  we  reach  on 
this  eighteenth  day  of  August,  after  a  voyage  of  one 
hundred  and  sixteen  days  from  Boston. 


CHAPTEE  III. 

HOW  HONG-KONG    APPEARED. 

How  Great  Britain  came  to  own  it—"  Fragrant  Streams  " — British 
Dignity — Pleasant  Reception— Town  of  Victoria— The  Chinese 
Portion—"  Coolies" — Foreign  Buildings — The  "Barracks" — The 
Church — Morrison  Hill — "  Happy  Valley  " — Morrison  School — Mr. 
John  Morrison — Rev.  Samuel  Brown — Mr.  William  A.  Macy — Rev. 
Charles  Gutzlaff,  D.D. 

This  island  belongs  to  Great  Britain,  having  been 
ceded  to  that  power  by  the  Emperor  of  China,  as  a 
part  of  the  indemnity  claimed  at  the  close  of  the 
Opium  war,  in  1842.  Although  now  universally 
called  in  English,  Hong-Kong,  yet  its  real  name  in 
Chinese,  is  Iliang-Kiang,  and  it  means  "  Fragrant 
Streams."  But  the  only  streams  we  saw  were  those 
which  ran  down  the  rocky  hillsides  after  a  rain. 
They  gleamed  and  flashed  in  the  sunlight  like  threads 
of  molten  silver,  and  were  certainly  beautiful  if  not 
"fragrant."  The  outline  of  the  island,  on  the  side 
toward  the  mainland,  is  crescent-shaped ;  its  two 
horns,  several  miles  apart,  approaching  within  a  half 
mile  or  even  less  of  the  opposite  shore,  and  its  inter- 
vening or  receding  portion  forming,  together  with  a 
similar  conformation  of  the  coast  over  against  it,  one 
of  the  finest  harbors  in  the  world.  It  embraces  in 
the  broad  sweep  of  its  arms,  a  magnificent  sheet  of 


44  FIVE  YEARS   IN   CHINA. 

water,  of  sufficient  extent  to  float  the  whole  navy  of 
Great  Britain. 

While  we  were  entering  the  harbor,  where  we 
found  a  dozen  or  fifteen  other  foreign  vessels,  mostly 
British  and  American,  the  British  harbor-master, 
wearing  a  blue  cloth  cap,  with  a  gilt  band  around  it, 
came  off  to  us  in  his  barge,  pulled  by  six  oars,  in  the 
hands  of  English  sailors.  He  assumed  the  most  im- 
portant airs  and  directed  us  where  to  anchor,  with  a 
display  of  authority  that  was  truly  edifying.  An 
awfully  dignified  little  midshipman,  with  a  huge 
cocked  hat  big  enough  for  him  to  sleep  in,  an  epaulet 
on  his  shoulder  that  looked  as  if  it  was  about  as  much 
as  he  could  well  stand  up  under,  and  a  sword  hang- 
ing by  brass  chains  from  his  belt,  so  low  that  it 
would  have  dragged  on  the  deck,  had  he  not  held  it 
up  in  his  left  hand — came  on  board  to  get  our  ship's 
custom-house  papers. 

No  sooner  had  we  anchored,  than  an  American 
missionary  of  the  Northern  Baptist  church,  Rev. 
John  Johnson,  having  seen  the  ship  enter  the  harbor, 
and  recognized  its  nationality  by  the  stars  and  stripes, 
came  off  to  us  in  his  boat,  gave  us  a  cordial  welcome, 
and  invited  us  to  accompany  him  on  shore,  offering 
us  the  hospitalities  of  his  house  for  the  few  days  of 
our  sojourn  at  the  island.  The  Rev.  William  Dean 
was  his  colleague  in  that  field,  and  they  both  treated 
us  with  great  kindness. 

A  portion  of  the  town  of  Victoria  is  assigned  to 
the  Chinese :  it  may  have  been  the  same  locality  that 
was  occupied  by  the  native  town  before  the  island 
became  the  property  of  Great  Britain.  The  buildings 
extend  down  to  the  water's  edge,  and  some  of  them 


HOW   HONG-KONG   APPEARED.  45 

are  built  upon  piles,  directly  over  the  water,  so  that 
small  boats  can  pass  between  the  upright  posts,  and  are 
then  under  the  house,  which  has  a  large  trap-door  in 
its  floor.  Through  this,  persons  can  climb  up  by  a 
ladder  that  is  let  down  for  the  purpose,  whenever  it  is 
needed.  The  houses  are  very  small,  generally  but  one 
story  high,  with  a  sleeping  apartment  in  the  attic, 
overhead.  They  are  crowded  together  as  closely  as  it 
is  possible  for  them  to  be  placed,  and  only  a  few  feet- 
say  eight  or  ten — are  allowed  for  the  width  of  the 
dark,  dirty,  irregular  streets.  Dark,  because  day- 
light is  almost  excluded  by  the  projecting  roofs  of 
tiles,  that  overhang  the  walls  of  the  buildings  for 
about  three  feet  on  the  opposite  sides  of  these  nar- 
row lanes.  Here,  too,  you  will  find  the  Chinese 
market,  filled  with  a  great  variety  of  fish,  meats, 
fowl,  fruits,  and  vegetables,  to  supply  the  demands 
of  the  foreign  as  well  as  the  native  population.  And 
then  the  crowds  of  Chinese  to  be  seen  there,  with 
their  shaven  heads,  and  long,  braided  hair. 

Men  supply  the  place  of  beasts  of  burden  in  China. 
A  stick  of  bamboo  (the  cane  of  this  country),  or  of  some 
other  tough,  elastic  wood,  about  five  feet  long,  hav- 
ing a  sling  of  ropes  attached  to  each  end,  is  balanced 
across  the  shoulder,  and  in  each  sling  the  Chinaman 
can  easily  carry  a  bag  containing  a  bushel  of  rice, 
or  about  the  same  weight  of  any  other  article  that 
will  admit  of  being  carried  in  that  manner.  You 
meet  great  numbers  of  these  bearers,  or  coolies,  as 
foreigners  call  them ;  but  that  is  an  Indian  term — 
the  real  name  in  Chinese  is  Tcang-foo.  They  walk 
very  rapidly  while  carrying  a  load — almost  run — and 
accompany   every   step   with   a  loud    exclamation, 


46  FIVE   YEARS   IN   CHINA. 

"  Hah-ho !  hah-ho  /"  The  bearers  of  sedans  are 
called  keaw-foo,  the  word  Iceaw  meaning  sedan. 
They  generally  wear  sandals  made  of  twisted  and 
braided  straw,  as  allowing  more  play  and  expansion 
to  the  feet,  beside  being  very  soft  and  cheap.  The 
muscular  development  of  the  legs  of  these  bearers  is 
enormous.  They  also  have  a  large,  hard,  fleshy  pro- 
tuberance on  the  shoulders,  where  the  stick  crosses 
them.  I  saw,  one  day,  from  an  elevated  position  on 
a  hillside,  about  a  hundred  of  these  coolies,  with  an 
arrangement  of  ropes,  poles,  and  sticks,  carrying 
through  one  of  the  wide  streets,  the  body  of  a  very 
large  tree,  that  was  to  furnish  a  mast  for  a  ship.  It 
bore  a  most  curious  and  striking  resemblance  to  a 
gigantic  centipede,  the  bearers  looking  like  its  legs. 

Just  look  yonder  !  How  pleasant  it  is  to  an  Ame- 
rican, to  see  the  stars  and  stripes  waving,  not  only 
on  some  of  the  finest  ships  in  the  harbor,  but  also  from 
the  flag-staff  on  the  top  of  the  large  white  house  on 
the  corner  of  one  of  the  streets  in  this  pretty  hillside 
town  of  Victoria.  A  little  higher  up  are  the  London 
Missions  premises,  and  then,  still  higher  and  beyond, 
is  the  British  Government  House — a  larger,  and  hand- 
somer building,  from  whose  roof  floats  the  proud  flag 
of  Old  England,  St.  George's  Cross.  Further  along, 
up  the  main  street,  which  is  called  "  Queen's  Road," 
there  is  the  same  national  emblem  flying  on  some 
spacious,  though  not  very  high  structures  of  well- 
hewn  stone.  These  are  called  "  the  Barracks,"  and 
are  permanently  occupied  by  a  regiment  of  Her 
Britannic  Majesty's  troops,  quartered  here  for  the 
preservation  of  peace  and  order.  It  is  composed  in 
part  of  Sepoys  from  India.     They  are  nearly  black, 


HOW   HONG-KONG   APPEARED.  47 

and  have  thick,  straight  hair.  The  expression  of 
their  eyes  is  fierce  and  sinister.  They  are  exceed- 
ingly slender,  but  lithe  and  active.  Yon  may,  there- 
fore, see  British  soldiers  and  officers  every  day  in  full 
uniform  ;  and  frequently  does  the  band  belonging  to 
the  garrison  discourse  sweet,  and  soul-stirring  music, 
to  the  great  delight  and  eniivenment  of  the  whole 
town.  It  is  especially  charming,  soothing,  enchant- 
ing, enrapturing,  when  you  hear  it  on  a  calm,  still, 
summer  evening,  a  little  way  off  on  the  water.  If 
you  have  ever  heard  a  splendid  band  playing  under 
such  circumstances,  you  know  the  emotions  it  excites 
— they  cannot  be  described. 

There,  too,  not  far  from  the  barracks,  and  fronting 
on  an  open  square,  is  a  neat,  small  stone  church,  in 
the  Gothic  style  of  architecture,  with  its  modest  little 
spire  pointing  the  people  to  the  skies.  Just  the  sim- 
ple fact  of  such  an  edifice,  for  such  a  purpose,  in 
such  a  region  of  paganism — though  this  one  was  for 
the  benefit  of  those  only  whose  native  language  was 
English — impresses  a  Christian  heart  with  peculiar 
pleasure ;  for  its  very  presence  there  breathes  of 
hope  for  the  heathen  also,  who  live  within  sight  of 
that  spire,  and  within  the  sound  of  that  sweet, 
church-going  bell,  which  by  its  melodious  chimings, 
calls  the  foreigners  to  their  weekly  worship,  while  it 
teaches  the  native  idolater — as  he  stops,  and,  listen- 
ing, asks  why  the  ringing  of  that  bell  so  regularly 
every  seventh  day — of  a  Sabbath  of  rest  from  labor, 
and  of  prayer  and  praise  to  the  only  living  and  true 
God.  It  stands  as  a  beacon-light  on  the  confines  of 
that  vast  land  of  darkness,  darting  its  rays  out  into 
the  gloom,  directing  the  benighted  and  storm-tossed 


48  FIVE   TEARS   IN   CHINA. 

on  that  sea  of  superstition  and  ignorance,  to  the  only 
haven  of  deliverance  from  the  shipwreck  of  the 
soul. 

Its  forms  are  those  of  the  Church  of  England,  and 
its  chaplain  at  that  time  was  a  Rev.  Mr.  Monteith, 
of  excellent  repute,  as  a  pious,  evangelical,  zealous 
minister  of  Jesus  Christ. 

Passing  on  through  the  town  along  its  principal 
street,  "  Queen's  Road,"  which  extends  on  the  hill- 
side for  about  a  mile  around  a  bay  that  beautifully 
indents  the  island  at  that  point,  you  come  to  a  pretty 
hill,  having  its  gentle  slopes  covered  with  grass,  while 
it  seems  quite  disconnected  from  its  higher  and  more 
scantily  clothed,  rugged,  rocky  sisters,  that  rise  far 
above  and  beyond  it.  Indeed,  they  seem  to  throw 
their  huge,  rough  arms  around  it,  as  if  to  fold  it  to 
their  bosoms  for  protection,  while  they  look  down 
upon  it  with  apparent  pride  that  so  beautiful  a  little 
thing  is  one  of  their  own  number,  and  belongs  to  them- 
selves. 

Between  it  and  their  feet — as  you  discover  on 
reaching  it. — there  lies  one  of  the  most  charming  little 
valleys  your  eyes  ever  beheld.  A  large  portion  of  it 
is  a  perfect  plain,  covered  with  a  luxuriant  growth  of 
grass,  while  it  is  fringed  on  its  sides  with  beautiful 
trees  and  wild  shrubbery.  It  has  a  small  stream  of 
clear,  sparkling  water  winding  through  it,  running 
around  the  hill,  and  dashing  away  down  into  the 
harbor.  This  delightful  little  vale  is  most  appropri- 
ately named  "  Happy  Valley,"  and  it  might  well  have 
served  as  the  lovely  prototype  from  which  Johnson 
drew  his  charming  picture  in  "Rasselas." 

On  the  summit  of  that  hill,  with  the  town  and  the 


HCfW   HONG-KONG   APPEARED.  49 

harbor  in  front,  and  "  Happy  Yalley  "  behind  it — is  a 
long,  low,  white  building,  of  but  one  story  in  height, 
and  having  a  spacious  veranda,  which  is  inclosed 
with  green  Venetian  blinds  from  the  eaves  to  the 
floor.  Most  of  the  foreign  buildings  in  China  have 
these  verandas  or  porticoes  surrounding  them,  with 
a  similar  arrangements  of  blinds,  as  a  protection  from 
the  excessive  heat  of  the  sun  during  the  long  sum- 
mers. 

This  edifice  is  the  "  Morrison  School "  for  Chinese 
boys.  It  was  built  and  sustained  by  the  liberal  con- 
tributions of  the  foreign  merchants  and  others  in 
China,  who  composed  the  "Morrison  Education 
Society  ;"  and  it  was  named  in  honor  of  the  first  Pro- 
testant missionary  to  that  empire,  the  great  and  good 
Rev.  Dr.  Robert  Morrison.  His  son,  Mr.  John  Mor- 
rison, a  most  estimable,  gifted,  and  pious  young  man, 
was,  at  the  time  of  its  establishment,  interpreter  of 
Chinese  to  the  British  government,  and  was  largely 
instrumental  in  the  accomplishment  of  the  work.  He 
died  not  long  after  its  completion,  deeply  lamented 
by  all  who  knew  him — missionaries,  merchants, 
natives,  and  foreigners. 

Its  first  superintendent  was,  if  I  mistake  not,  the 
Rev.  Samuel  Brown,  an  American  missionary,  who 
was,  after  a  few  years,  compelled  to  return  to  his 
country  on  account  of  the  failure  of  the  health  of  his 
wife.  Soon  after  my  own  return  for  the  same  cause, 
our  families  had  a  delightful  interview  at  his  resi- 
dence in  the  State  of  New  York,  where  he  was  keep- 
ing a  select  boarding-school  for  boys.  There,  too,  we 
became  acquainted  with  his  mother,  an  unusually 
intelligent  and  pious  old  lady,  who  possessed  peculiar 
3 


50  FIVE  YEARS   IN   CHINA. 

and  additional  interest  to  us,  from  the  fact  that  she 
was  the  author  of  that  beautiful  hymn,  beginning : 

"  I  love  to  steal  a  while  away 
From  every  cumbering  care." 

Mr.  Brown  has  recently  returned  to  the  East  as  a 
missionary  to  Japan.  A  brief  sketch  of  his  history, 
together  with  an  excellent  photograph  likeness, 
appeared  some  months  ago  in  "  Harper's  Weekly." 

Mr.  William  A.  Macy,  an  American  lay-missionary, 
was  in  charge  of  the  Morrison  School  at  the  time  of 
our  landing  at  Hong-Kong.  His  mother  accompa- 
nied him,  being  a  widow,  and  he  her  only  child.  She 
lias  since  gone  to  take  her  harp,  and  he  to  get  his 
crown. 

The  original  object  of  the  Morrison  School  was  to 
teach  Chinese  boys  the  English  language  in  connec- 
tion with  Christianity ;  but  after  an  experiment  of 
several  years,  it  was  found  that  the  boys  had  so  uni- 
versally perverted  their  knowledge  of  English,  by 
becoming,  for  the  sake  of  gain,  interpreters  for  opium- 
traders,  sailors,  and  others — generally  for  wicked 
purposes — making,  to  say  the  least,  but  very  poor 
use  of  their  English,  and  none  at  all  of  their  Christi- 
anity, that  the  benevolent  supporters  of  the  school 
became  discouraged,  and  I  think  it  has  now  been  for 
some  time  entirely  discontinued.  Full  experience 
has  therefore  shown  that  it  is  a  pernicious  labor  to 
teach  English  to  the  Chinese,  and  that  the  only  safe 
method  is  to  teach  them  Christianity  through  the 
medium  of  their  own  native  tongue. 

We  also  found,  on  our  arrival  in  China,  the  cele- 
brated veteran  missionary,  Kev.  Charles  Gutzlaff,  D.D. 


HOW   HONG-KONG   APPEARED.  51 

He  was  a  Prussian  by  birth,  and  had  been  sent  out 
by  the  Netherlands  Missionary  Society  more  than 
thirty  years  before.  Possessed  of  a  rare  talent  for 
acquiring  languages,  he  had  learned  to  speak,  read, 
and  write  the  Chinese  with  great  fluency.  He  made 
a  translation  of  the  entire  Scriptures  into  that  lan- 
guage, and,  besides  translations  of  other  books,  wrote 
many  tracts  of  his  own  composition.  He  often  went 
among  the  Chinese  in  disguise,  and  spoke  several  of 
their  dialects  with  such  wonderful  accuracy  as  to 
escape  detection,  where  discovery  would  have  been 
death.  He  had  been  as  bold,  intrepid  and  valiant  a 
soldier  of  the  cross  as  ever  set  foot  on  Pagan  shores ; 
and  yet,  when  we  saw  him,  he  had  almost  entirely 
laid  aside  his  missionary  character,  having  become 
Chinese  secretary,  and  interpreter  of  the  British 
government,  with  a  large  salary.  Still,  he  had  a  class 
of  Chinese,  who  came  to  his  room  every  evening  for 
instruction  ;  and  it  was  on  one  of  those  occasions  that 
I  was  introduced  to  him  by  a  brother  missionary. 
His  manner  was  very  kind  and  cordial.  He  was  of 
about  the  middle  stature — perhaps  a  little  above  it — 
and  was  growing  quite  corpulent.  He  had  a  very 
large,  round,  full,  red  face,  beaming  with  the  good 
nature  that  also  twinkled  in  his  small  grey  eyes.  He 
was  very  bald,  and  wore  a  round-jacket,  vest,  and 
pantaloons,  all  of  white  linen,  a  common  summer  cosj 
tume  worn  by  foreigners  in  China.  He  died  some 
time  after,  while  we  were  at  Shanghai ;  and  although 
the  evening  and  the  sunset  of  his  long  and  laborious 
life  were  not  without  a  cloud,  yet  we  cannot  help  think- 
ing that  he  must  have  accomplished  great  good,  and 
that  he  is  saved  through  the  mercy  of  the  Redeemer. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

GOING     TO     CANTON. 

Leaving  Hong-Kong — A  Fellow  Passenger — Robbers — Dr.  and  Mrs. 
Sexton — Scenery  along  up  "  Pearl  River  " — Pagodas— Tombs — The 
"Bogue"  or  "Bocca  Tigris" — Forts — Whampoa — Boat-women — 
Boats — War-junks — Flower-boats — More  Pagodas — " Fan-kwei " — 
River  Population— Proper  Xame  of  "  Canton" — Appearance  of  the 
City — Foreign  "  Gardens,"  and  "  Factories  " — Peripatetic  Mer- 
chants, Artisans,  Tradesmen,  and  Mountebanks. 

That  part  of  our  ship's  cargo  which  consisted  of  resin 
in  barrels,  and  pig-lead,  was  destined  for  Canton.  So 
after  a  pleasant  sojourn  of  a  few  days  at  Hong-Kong, 
we  went  on  board  again,  weighed  anchor,  and  spread 
our  sails  once  more,  under  the  guidance  of  the 
Chinese  pilot,  who  was  to  show  us  the  way  to  the 
great  commercial  city  of  the  Celestial  Empire.  On 
account  of  the  indisposition  of  his  wife,  my  colleague 
had  taken  his  family  and  baggage  from  the  ship  at 
Hong-Kong,  where  they  remained  for  several  months, 
We  had  been  kindly  entertained  there  for  three  or 
four  days  by  our  American  Baptist  missionary  friends, 
and  now  one  of  them,  the  Rev.  Francis  C.  Johnson,  son 
of  the  Eev.  William  B.  Johnson,  D.D.,  of  Edgefield, 
South  Carolina,  accompanied  us  to  Canton.  He  was 
a  gentleman  of  superior  abilities  and  of  great  eccen- 
tricity, but,  withal,  a  most  generous,  warm-hearted, 
and  genial  companion.     His  society  for  the  few  short 


GOING   TO   CANTON.  53 

days   during  which  we  were  favored  with  it,  con- 
tributed no  little  to  our  enjoyment  and  edification. 

Bands  of  robbers,  called  Ladrones,  infested  Hong- 
Kong  at  the  time  of  our  visit.  Such  was  their  auda- 
city and  adroitness,  that  they  would  climb  by  ladders 
up  to  the  windows  in  the  second  story  of  even  for- 
eign dwellings,  enter  apartments,  often  where  persons 
were  sleeping,  and  carry  off  everything  they  could 
find.  It  was  supposed  by  many  that  they  had  a  vo- 
latile preparation  of  some  kind  of  drug,  the  fumes  of 
which,  diffused  in  the  room,  possessed  the  power  so 
to  deepen  the  slumbers  of  the  occupants,  or  to 
stupefy  them  in  some  way,  that  they  would  not  be 
wakened  by  ordinary  noises.  Our  friend  Johnson, 
being  unmarried,  had  hired  rooms  in  a  Chinese  build- 
ing, and  these  rascals  had  broken  in — I  think  during 
his  absence — and  stolen  his  entire  wardrobe  that  he 
had  brought  with  him  from  America.  He  bore  his 
loss  with  singular  equanimity;  and  with  the  most 
philosophical  coolness,  as  amusing  to  us  as  it  seemed 
consolatory  to  himself,  said  in  his  peculiar  drawling 
tone,  that  "he  was  really  much  obliged  to  the 
Ladrones  for  relieving  him  of  his  surplus  clothing ; 
that  he  had  more  than  he  wanted  anyhow,  and  didn't 
know  what  to  do  with  it ;  and  that  the  robbers  had 
done  him  an  undesigned  kindness  in  taking  it  out  of 
his  way !"  So  in  fact  the  amiable  and  simple- 
hearted  missionary  seemed  as  independent  of  the 
world  as  was  Diogenes  in  his  tub.  And,  strangely 
regardless  of  the  proprieties  of  ministerial  attire, 
he  had  gone  and  bought  himself  a  blue  and 
white  striped  shirt,  with  a  wide,  open  collar,  in  which, 
without   cravat  or  ribbon,  and  in   a  white   round- 


54  FIVE   YEARS   IN   CHINA. 

jacket  and  pants,  but  no  vest,  he  called  with  us  to  pay 
his  respects  to  the  representative  of  our  government, 
the  Hon.  John  Wesley  Davis,  of  Indiana,  who  had 
just  arrived  as  the  United  States  Commissioner  to 
China.  Notwithstanding  his  oddities,  it  was  a  great 
loss  to  the  missionary  band  in  that  Empire  when  the 
total  prostration  of  his  physical  strength  drove 
Mr.  Johnson  from  their  ranks  back  to  his  native  land. 

Sailing  out  of  the  beautiful  harbor  of  Hong-Kong, 
the  head  of  our  ship  was  turned  directly  toward  the 
frowning  barrier  of  rocky  islands  that  hemmed  in  the 
river  and  country  behind  it  from  our  view. 

We  were  now  sailing  over  the  very  spot  where,  but 
a  few  weeks  before,  a  sudden  gust  of  wind  had  upset 
a  small  vessel,  and  hurried  all  on  board,  including  a 
young  medical  missionary  and  his  wife,  Dr.  and  Mrs. 
Sexton,  of  Philadelphia,  to  a  watery  grave.  They 
were  sent  out  by  the  Southern  Baptist  Board,  and 
had  but  just  arrived,  full  of  hope  and  promise  ;  but, 
having  given  evidence  of  their  devotion  to  the  mis- 
sionary work,  they  were  taken  home  to  its  reward 
without  having  passed  through  its  toils.  We  drop  a 
tear  that  may  mingle  with  the  water  which  bathes 
their  pale,  cold  cheeks,  far  down  in  the  deep ;  for 
theirs  is  no  grave  by  which  we  may  sit  and  weep  out 
our  sorrow  that  two,  so  young  and  lovely,  should  so 
early  and  so  sadly  have  passed  away. 

Presently,  a  narrow  opening  appeared  between  two 
of  the  islands,  through  which,  as  one  of  its  mouths, 
or  "gates,"  as  the  Chinese  call  them,  "Pearl  River" 
runs  down  into  the  sea.  Entering  this  on  the  bosom 
of  the  flood  tide,  and  with  a  favoring  breeze  tilling 
our  outspread  wings  of  snowy  canvas,  the  wall  that 


GOING   TO   CANTON.  55 

had  hitherto  shut  us  out  was  soon  left  behind.  Its 
landward  side  gradually  sloped  off  into  hills  partly 
covered  with  grass  and  a  thin  low  shrubbery,  but 
mostly  barren  to  all  appearance ;  while  the  interven- 
ing valleys  were  evidently  more  fertile,  as  they  were 
occupied  by  cottages,  hamlets,  and  villages,  with 
trees  enough  for  shade.  Some  portions  of  the  coun- 
try along  and  near  the  river  were  undulating  rather 
than  hilly,  being  made  up  of  alternate  elevations  and 
depressions.  We  had  seen  as  yet  but  a  sparse  popula- 
tion when  compared  with  the  rumored  multitudes  in 
the  "  Central  Flowery  Kingdom."  But  the  inhabitants, 
even  in  those  immediate  neighborhoods,  were  doubt 
less  far  more  numerous  than  appeared  to  us  from  the 
deck  of  the  ship.  Now  and  then,  we  saw  one  ot 
those  many-sided  towers  of  several  stories  in  height, 
such  as  we  had  often  seen  pictured  in  the  juvenile  his- 
tories and  geographies  of  our  childhood,  and  so  unmis- 
takably Chinese,  in  the  curved  slope  of  the  roof  pro- 
jecting from  each  story,  with  its  long,  turned-up  cor- 
ners. Scattered  here  and  there  on  the  hillsides,  were 
some  of  the  graves  surrounded  by  mason-work  of 
nicely  hewn  stone  or  of  brick,  plastered  and  white- 
washed, but  always  built  in  the  form  of  a  horse-shoe, 
the  space  thus  inclosed  being  twelve  or  fourteen  feet 
in  diameter,  and  often  floored  with  smoothly  hewn 
blocks  of  granite,  underneath  which,  in  the  centre, 
the  coffin  is  deposited.  The  middle  or  back  part  of 
the  wall  is  three  or  four  feet  high,  gradually  diminish- 
ing to  one  or  two  at  the  ends.  The  tablet  or  tomb- 
stone,  inscribed  simply  with  the  name,  and  the  year 
of  the  birth  of  the  deceased,  is  placed  upright  against 
the  middle  of  the  wall,  directly  opposite  the  open 


56  FIVE    TEARS    IN    CHINA. 

space  between  the  two  ends.  Sometimes  as  much 
money  is  expended  on  these  resting-places  for  the 
dead  as  on  the  habitations  of  the  living. 

From  being  spread  out  into  a  bay  filled  with 
islands  on  your  left,  as  you  sail  up  the  river,  for  nearly 
fifty  miles,  it  narrows  down  to  a  single  passage  at  a 
point  called  the  "  Bogue,"  or  Bocca  Tigris. 

The  Chinese  have  shown  more  wisdom  in  the  selec- 
tion of  this  spot  for  the  defence  of  the  approach 
to  Canton  than  they  have  skill  or  bravery  in  occupy- 
ing it.  There  were  on  the  hills  commanding  this  pas- 
sage, well-built  forts,  with  walls  extending  from  them 
down  to  the  river;  but  they  were  not  proof  against 
British  cannon,  and  have  been  nearly  destroyed. 
Beyond  the  Bogne,  the  face  of  the  country  soon 
becomes  not  only  level,  but  more  fertile  and  highly 
cultivated  as  the  green  fields  of  rice  and  other  vege- 
tables, spread  out  before  you  on  every  side,  do  amply 
testify. 

Some  thirty  miles  more,  and  you  come  to  the 
Chinese  village  of  Whampoa,  with  many  of  its  low, 
crowded  dwellings,  built  over  the  water  on  posts, 
which  are  driven  into  the  mud  on  the  edge  of  the 
river.  Here  is  the  anchorage  for  the  foreign  ship- 
ping ;  and  here  you  may  see  the  flags  of  many  differ- 
ent nations  flying  gaily  from  the  masts  of  the  vessels 
moored  in  the  stream.  Even  before  we  anchored, 
our  ship  was  beset  by  nearly  a  score  of  small  boats, 
mostly  manned  by  women /  some  young,  some  old, 
with  bare  heads  and  feet,  save  when  a  large-figured 
head-kerchief  is  worn  and  tied  under  the  chin. 
Their  dress  is  simple  and  becoming;  it  consists  of 
loose-flowing  trowsers,  reaching  to  the  ankles,  and  an 


GOING   TO   CANTON.  57 

outer  garment,  with  large  sleeves,  extending  from  the 
neck — around  which  it  fits  closely — to  the  knee. 
These  articles  are  either  of  cotton  or  coarse  silk,  and 
are  generally  blue.  They  are  excess ively  fond  of 
jewelry,  and  wear  ear-rings,  bracelets,  anklets,  and 
hair  pins  of  such  material  as  they  can  afford — gold, 
silver,  precious  stones,  brass,  shell,  horn,  or  glass. 
Their  boats  are  called  tan-kid,  meaning  uegg-7wuse" 
boats,  because  of  their  resemblance — originally,  more 
than  at  present — to  a  half  of  an  egg,  divided  in  the 
direction  of  its  longest  diameter. 

These  water-nymphs  are  clamorous  to  be  employed 
to  take  passengers  to  the  shore,  or  from  one  ship  to 
another.  Standing  on  the  miniature  deck  at  the 
hinder  part  of  the  little  craft,  she  propels  the  boat 
with  great  skill  and  speed,  by  means  of  a  single  oar 
— a  scull,  in  the  stern.  It  is  provided  with  mats 
sufficient  to  cover  the  whole  boat  at  night,  or, 
if  necessary,  during  a  rain ;  but  ordinarily,  the  two 
ends  are  open  to  the  sky,  and  the  middle  portion  only 
is  covered  by  the  mats,  to  protect  the  passengers,  if 
they  have  any,  from  the  sun  and  rain — otherwise  the 
family  ;  for  they  are  emphatically  family  boats,  being 
the  only  dwelling.  "  Here  whole  families  are  reared, 
live  and  die.  The  room  which  serves  for  passengers 
by  day,  is  a  bedroom  by  night ;  a  kitchen  at  one  time, 
a  wash-room  at  another,  and  a  nursery  always." 

At  Whampoa,  you  are  still  twelve  miles  from  Can- 
ton ;  so  you  charter  one  of  the  tan-kid  boats,  and 
proceed  on  up  the  river.  It  is  an  intensely  warm 
afternoon,  and,  as  your  course  is  due  west,  the  declin- 
ing sun  pours  its  merciless  radiance  of  scorching 
heat,  as  well  as  blinding  brightness,  full  into  your 

3* 


58  FIVE    YEARS    IN    CHINA. 

face  ;  for,  as  you  are  here  for  the  first  time,  you  can- 
not endure  to  have  the  mats  drawn  over  to  shut  out 
the  sun ;  you  wish  to  see  everything  that  is  to-  be 
seen  of  this  strange  country  and  still  stranger  peo- 
ple. 

The  river  is  filled  with  boats  of  every  size  and 
description ;  large,  clumsy  lighters  for  loading  and 
unloading  ships;  light,  graceful  "flower-boats,"  i.  e. 
pleasure-boats,  profusely  ornamented  with  fantastic 
wood-engravings,  paintings,  large  ornamental  lan- 
terns, and  little  gay  silken  flags  flaunting  in  the 
breeze.  Then  there  are  the  armed  war  and  govern- 
ment revenue  junks,  with  ugly-looking  cannon  pro- 
truding threateningly  from  their  port-holes,  while 
their  gaudily  colored  sides  are  covered  with  round 
shields  of  ratan,  having  painted  on  them  the  fiercest- 
looking  tiger-faces  imaginable  ;  such  faces  of  tigers 
as  never  existed  anywhere  but  in  the  fancy  of  the 
artists,  marvellously  prolific  in  the  hideous  and  fright- 
ful. Some  of  these  boats  are  so  arranged  as  to  be 
propelled  by  oars,  of  which  they  carry  forty  or  fifty, 
and  by  this  means  they  attain  great  speed. 

Just  above  the  anchorage  at  Whampoa  is  a  small 
island-hill,  rising  from  the  river,  which  was  assigned 
to  foreigners  for  a  burial-place.  On  it  we  saw  some 
white  marble  tombstones,  like  those  at  home.  These 
had  been  sent  from  England  and  America  by  the 
surviving  friends  of  those  who  had  died  thus  far  away 
from  their  native  land. 

A  little  further  on  you  come  to  a  tall  pagoda,  nine 
stories  high,  on  a  slightly  elevated  island  in  the 
middle  of  the  river ;  and  then,  a  few  miles  still  on  up 
the  river,  is  another,  of  the  same  common  octagonal 


GOING   TO  CANTON.  59 

figure,  but  of  about  the  same  height.  Both  are  much 
dilapidated,  and  the  former  is  partly  covered  with 
vines,  which  impart  to  it  something  of  the  beauty  and 
interest  of  an  ancient  ruin. 

As  you  advance,  the  crowd  of  boats  becomes  more 
dense,  and  as,  from  curiosity,  scores  of  shaven-headed 
juveniles  peep  out  at  you  from  under  the  covers 
of  their  own  boats  in  passing,  you  hear  the  same 
words  from  all :  "  Fan-lewd,  fan-lcwei  /"  "  foreign 
devils,  foreign  devils."  This  salutation  is,  to  say  the 
least,  not  as  complimentary  as  might  be ;  but, 
since  it  does  you  no  harm,  you  give  yourself  no 
uneasiness  on  the  subject.  Presently  the  thorough- 
fare on  the  river  is  narrowed  down  to  the  space  of 
about  two  rods  in  the  middle,  and  along  this,  hun- 
dreds of  boats  are  constantly  and  swiftly  passing  up 
and  down,  almost  touching  each  other,  and  yet  guided 
with  such  skill  as  seldom  to  come  into  collision.  The 
remaining  surface  of  the  river  for  one  or  two  hundred 
yards  on  each  side,  is  entirely  hidden  by  the  thou- 
sands of  boats  that  are  lying  moored,  and  crowded  as 
closely  together  as  it  is  possible  for  them  to  be 
packed,  to  the  banks  on  either  side,  which  they  totally 
conceal. 

You  have  now  reached  the  far-famed  city.  It  is 
called  by  the  natives,  Kwang-tung  sang-ching,  which 
translated  literally,  means,  "  Kwang-eastern  provincial 
city."  There  are  two  provinces — corresponding  to  our 
States — lying  contiguous,  called  the  uTwo  Kwang," 
which  are  under  one  government.  They  are  distin- 
guished from  each  other  by  the  suffixes,  tungy  meaning 
"  east,"  and  si,  "  west."  Thus  we  have  Kwang-tung, 
and    Kwang-si — the    "Eastern    Kwang,"    and    the 


60  FIVE    YEARS    IN    CHINA. 

"  Western  Kwang."    The  word  "  Canton,"  is  only  a 
foreign  corruption  of  the  real  name — Kwang-tung. 

This  city  occupies  a  low  plain,  extending  from  the 
"  Pearl  Kiver,"  back  about  three  miles  to  the  "  White 
Cloud  Hills,"  which  are  covered  with  tombs  and  con- 
stitute a  vast  cemetery.  Its  appearance  is  by  no 
means  imposing,  and  its  walls,  which  are  said  to  be 
six  miles  in  circumference,  are  scarcely  distinguish- 
able from  the  mass  of  low,  dark,  dingy  dwellings, 
crowded  together,  both  within  them  and  without. 
Presently,  your  eyes  are  greeted  with  the  sight  of 
the  American  and  British  flags,  flying  from  two 
tall  flagstaff's  in  their  respective  "  gardens,"  which 
together  form  a  kind  of  open  square  or  park,  of 
not  more  than  five  or  six  acres.  JS"ear  the  middle 
of  it  stands  the  English  church.  Facing  this  plea- 
sure-ground and  the  river,  are  the  foreign  "  Hongs  " 
— buildings  of  two  and  three  stories  high,  well  con- 
structed of  brick  and  stuccoed.  They  are  occupied 
by  the  foreign  merchants,  both  as  dwellings  and 
places  of  business.  The  street  running  along  in 
front  of  the  foreign  hongs,  or  "  factories,"  was  filled 
with  peripatetic  artisans  and  merchants,  having  the 
implements  of  their  craft,  their  wares  and  their 
merchandise,  conveniently  suspended  from  the  ends 
of  a  pole  across  the  shoulder.  It  is  astonishing  to 
see  how  compactly  they  can  thus  stow  away  and 
carry  their  manifold  utensils.  The  blacksmith  for 
example,  in  this  manner,  carries  his  forge,  bellows, 
anvil,  tools  and  iron — all,  of  course,  on  a  small  scale 
— with  perfect  ease.  So  the  baker,  his  oven,  flour 
and  kneading-board — the  proprietor  of  an  eating 
establishment,  his  kitchen,  his  dishes  and  provisions. 


GOING   TO   CANTON.  61 

There  you  may  see  a  barber  shaving  the  head,  plait- 
ing the  queue,  thumping  the  back,  or  cleaning  out 
the  ears,  eyes  and  nose  of  his  customer,  who  is  seated 
on  a  high  three-legged  stool  in  the  street.  Then  there 
are  travelling  cobblers,  tinkers,  confectioners,  dentists 
and  quack-doctors,  physiognomers,  fortune-tellers, 
artisans,  astrologers,  jugglers,  gamblers,  venders  of 
fruit  and  vegetables — all  vociferating,  gesticulating, 
importuning,  elbowing  and  jostling  in  every  direc- 
tion— seeming  to  you  to  constitute  the  veriest  Babel 
to  be  found  on  earth.  And — as  sure  as  you  were 
born — if  there  isn't  that  very  Chinaman  you  saw  in 
the  picture  in  the  school-geography  when  you  were  a 
child,  with  his  broad-rimmed,  peaked  crowned  hat, 
and  a  basket  swinging  from  each  end  of  a  pole  across 
his  shoulder — one  containing  kittens  and  the  other 
puppies  !  And  yet  the  tales  that  are  current  among 
us  at  home  respecting  the  use  of  rats,  cats  and  dogs, 
as  articles  of  food  with  the  Chinese,  are  doubtless 
somewhat  exaggerated,  for  I  was  informed  that  only 
those  who  cannot  afford  to  purchase  other  kinds  of 
animal  food  will  eat  them. 


CHAPTER  Y. 

SOMETHING-    ABOUT    CANTON    AND    AMOY. 

New  Friends — Seamen's  Bethel — Hospitals— Drs.  Parker  and  Hobson 
— Leang  Afa — Howqua's  Gardens — General  Description  of  Chinese 
Ornamental  Gardens — Flowers  and  Shrubbery — Distorting  and 
Dwarfing  Trees — Honan  Temple — Idols — Priests — "  Sacred  Pigs  " 
— "  Old  "  and  "  New  China  Streets  "— "  Hog  Lane  "—Execution 
Ground — A  Typhoon — Return  to  Hong-Kong — Up  the  Coast — 
Headwinds — Amoy — Opium  Vessels — Fishing  Boats — Batteries — 
11  Queen  Bess  " — Native  City — Ku-lang-su — Missionaries — Islands 
— Mouth  of  the  Yang-tsz-kiang — "  Child  of  the  Ocean." 

We  soon  found  ourselves  at  the  residence  of  the 
Rev.  Peter  Parker,  M.D.,  by  whom  we  were  hospita- 
bly entertained,  and  where  wre  renewed  the  acquain- 
tance of  our  Minister  to  China,  Hon.  John  Wesley 
Davis,  whom  we  first  met  in  Norfolk,  Virginia,  six 
months  before.  He  had  arrived  but  a  day  or  two  in 
advance  of  us.  We  also  spent,  by  invitation,  several 
days  at  the  dwelling  of  a  very  kind  gentleman  of 
the  mercantile  community,  John  D.  Swords,  Esq.,  of 
Philadelphia,  since  deceased.  The  Rev.  George 
Loomis  had  been  sent  out  by  the  American  Seaman's 
Friend  Society,  as  chaplain  to  the  sailors  at  Wham- 
poa,  where  he  usually  preached  on  board  some  of  the 
ships.  We  heard  him,  however,  on  this  occasion, 
discourse  on  Sunday  morning  to  an  attentive  and  in- 
telligent group  of  some  forty  or  fifty  Americans  and 


SOMETHING    ABOUT   CANTON    AND    AMOY.  63 

English — mostly  merchants — in  Dr.  Parker's  dining- 
room,  which  was  so  arranged  that  it  was  often,  if  not 
regularly,  used  as  a  chapel.  Mainly  through  the 
efforts  of  Mr.  Loomis,  a  neat  floating  "  Bethel "  has 
been  since  built  at  Whampoa. 

Daring  the  week  passed  at  Canton  wre  became 
acquainted  with  all  the  Protestant  missionaries  then 
stationed  there,  and  experienced  at  their  hands  many 
kind  attentions.  Dr.  Parker,  and  Dr.  Hobson  of  the 
London  Missionary  Society,  each  had  hospitals,  and 
on  their  appointed  days  for  receiving  patients,  these 
establishments  are  crowded  with  applicants ;  and 
while  medicines  are  dispensed  to  their  diseased 
bodies,  the  only  remedy  for  the  sin-sick  soul  is  set 
before  them  by  the  mouth  of  the  living  preacher,  by 
the  distribution  of  tracts  and  books,  or  portions  of 
Scripture,  to  such  as  can  read.  Leang-Afa,  the  old- 
est convert  and  native  preacher,  often  officiated  on 
these  occasions,  and  on  the  Sabbath.  One  Sunday 
afternoon,  I  heard  him  in  Dr.  Parker's  hospital.  He 
was  short  and  fat,  but  serious  and  venerable. 

We  found  Mrs.  Hobson  an  exceedingly  interesting 
lady.  She  was  a  daughter  of  the  founder  of  Protest- 
ant missions  in  China,  Pev.  Dr.  Robert  Morrison. 

One  afternoon  we  accompanied  some  friends  in  a 
boat,  to  visit  the  gardens  of  Howqua,  one  of  the 
old  u  Hong  merchants,"  or  Chinese  merchant-princes, 
who  had  made  an  immense  fortune  in  the  tea-trade 
with  foreigners.  They  are  two  or  three  miles  up  the 
river,  on  the  bank  of  which  they  stand,  surrounded 
by  a  high  wall,  having  a  massive  gate-way,  which 
you  enter  by  a  flight  of  stone  steps  leading  from  the 
water's  edge.     The  prominent  features  of  these,  and 


64  FIVE    YEAKS    IN    CHINA. 

all  other  Chinese  ornamental  gardens,  besides  their 
flowers  and  shrubbery,  are  rocks,  bridges,  pools,  and 
pavilions  or  arbors.     The  rocks  are  piled  up  and  ce- 
mented  together  with    a    kind    of    plaster,   which 
becomes,  in  a  little  time,  as  hard  as  the  rock  itself. 
Sometimes   these  piles    of   artificial  rock-work   are 
twenty   feet  high  —  not   always   solid    masses,   but 
oftener  so  built  up  as  to  form  arches  and  crevices, 
caverns  and  grottoes,  nooks  and   corners,  of  every 
shape  that  can  be  thought  of — the  more  odd  and 
strange,    the   more   beautiful   in   native   estimation. 
Then  these  rocks  have  paths  winding  about  in  all 
directions,  inside  and  out,  up  flights  of  steps  and 
down,  often  forming  an  intricate  labyrinth.    Another 
feature   in   these   gardens  consists   in   the   artificial 
ponds  or  pools  of  water.     They  generally  fill  up  so 
much  of  the  space,  that  the  rocks  seem  rather  like 
islands  rising  out  of  them.     Then  these  pools  are 
crossed    in    various    directions    by    bridges,    some 
straight,  and  others  running  as  zigzag  as  if  they  had 
been  modelled  after  a  streak  of  lightning.     They  are 
built  of  well-hewn  stone,  for  the  most  part,  and  are 
from  three  to  five  feet  high  above  the  water,  sup- 
ported by  stone  posts  or  pillars,  and  provided  with 
curiously-wrought  balustrades. — Sometimes  they  are 
built  high  enough  to  admit  of  a  beautiful  arch  for  a 
support.      China    abounds    in    these    finely-arched 
bridges,  crossing  the  numerous   canals  and   rivers, 
throughout   the   whole    country.      Then    there   are 
arbors  or  summer-houses,  of  various  fanciful  shapes, 
from  square  to  five,  six,  or  eight  sided,  built  out  in 
the  water,  with  merely  a  column  at  each  corner,  to 
support  a  curiously-constructed  roof,  which  runs  up 


SOMETHING    ABOUT   CANTON    AND    AMOY.  65 

in  the  centre  to  a  point  like  a  steeple.  Often,  too, 
these  pavilions  are  built  on  the  tops  of  the  artificial 
rocky  eminences.  In  private  gardens,  and  in  some 
public  ones  also,  these  little  buildings  have  tables  and 
benches,  where  friends  and  visitors  resort  to  sit  and 
smoke,  drink  tea,  and  chat.  There  are  temples  also, 
sad  to  say,  with  richly-carved  and  gilded  wooden 
idols  in  them. 

Many  of  the  flowers  and  shrubs  are  very  beauti- 
ful. They  are  placed  about  in  different  parts  of  the 
garden,  in  odd-looking,  yet  handsome  and  costly 
flower-pots,  and  on  stands  and  tables  in  the  summer- 
houses  and  temples.  There  are  great  numbers  of 
tea-shops  in  the  public  gardens,  where  hundreds  of 
people  daily  congregate,  to  drink  tea,  smoke,  and 
talk.  The  great  fondness  of  the  Chinese  for  flowers 
is  proverbial.  They  have  numerous  different  kinds, 
and  many  of  them  are  exceedingly  beautiful  and 
fragrant.  Here  are  many  varieties  of  roses,  lilies, 
violets,  hollyhocks,  sweet-williams,  pinks,  tube- 
roses, verbenas,  peonies,  bachelor's  buttons,  helio- 
tropes, hibiscus,  honey-suckles,  geraniums,  myrtles, 
cape-jessamines,  hydrangeas,  artemisias,  coxcombs, 
chrysanthemums,  iris,  azaleas,  magnolias,  lagerstrce- 
mias,  altheas,  convolvulus,  japonicas,  and  many 
others.  The  splendid  white  lotus  or  water-lily, 
is  seen  resting  on  the  surface  of  the  pools,  with 
its  leaves  often  as  large  as  a  parasol.  Its  root  is 
a  favorite  article  of  food,  being  both  palatable  and 
nutritious.  There  is  a  magnificent  variety  of  the 
peony,  called  the  mau-tan,  unknown  in  America. 
Besides  flowers,  there  is  a  great  variety  of  evergreen 
shrubbery,  such  as  the  box,  the  arbor-vitse,  the  cy- 


66  FIVE   YEARS   IN   CHINA. 

press,  cedar,  and  the  pine.  These  are  highly  prized 
by  the  Chinese,  and  they  force  them  to  grow  into 
many  odd  shapes  by  confining  some  of  the  branches 
with  strings,  and  bending  others,  so  as  to  make  them 
grow  in  any  direction  they  wish.  Here  are  figures 
of  birds  and  animals  growing  in  this  way.  A  deer 
with  horns,  or  a  long-necked  crane,  standing  on  one 
foot  while  the  other  is  lifted  up,  and  all  growing 
fresh  and  green  out  of  a  flower-pot,  is  a  very  singu- 
lar sight.  You  will  sometimes  see  one  of  these 
miniature  trees  that  has  been  trained  to  resemble  a 
pagoda  of  several  stories  in  height.  These  Celestials 
have  a  strange  passion  for  dwarfing  and  distorting  all 
those  varieties  of  shrubbery  that  will  admit  of  the 
process. 

ISfearly  opposite  the  foreign  factories,  on  the  other 
side  of  the  river,  is  the  village  and  temple  of  Honan. 
From  the  landing  a  broad  avenue,  paved  with  large 
hewn  stones,  and  shaded  by  grand  old  trees,  leads 
directly  to  the  temple.  You  first  pass  through  a 
large  portal,  having  within  its  walls,  on  each  side,  a 
gigantic  image,  clad  in  full  armor,  standing  in  a 
threatening  attitude,  its  black,  glaring  eye-balls  half 
protruding  from  their  sockets,  and  the  wrhole  face 
wearing  the  fiercest  conceivable  expression  of  rage. 
These  represented  the  gate-keepers  or  sentinels  of  the 
sacred  inclosure,'  and  are  called  by  the  resident  foreign- 
ers "  Gog  and  Magog."  We  next  passed  through 
another  similar  entrance-building,  in  which  were 
four  of  these  colossal  figures  instead  of  two,  and 
then  found  ourselves  before  the  main  temple.  It 
was  spacious,  ornate,  curious  and  costly.  Its  roof 
was  tall,  had  a  curved  slope,  and  long  turned-up  cor- 


SOMETHING  ABOUT   CANTON   AND   AMOY.  67 

ners.  Filled  with  idols — carved,  gilded  and  painted 
— of  all  sizes  and  descriptions,  it  was  a  noted  Buddhist 
monastery,  and  a  company  of  some  two  hundred 
priests  or  bonzes  lived  there,  performing  its  daily 
cathedral  services.  The  whole  establishment  covered 
over  forty  acres,  and  comprised  many  buildings, 
walks  and  gardens.  In  one  part  we  were  shown  the 
sty  containing  the  "sacred  hogs" — some  ten  or  a 
dozen  enormous  grunters,  which  had  been  fed,  fat- 
tened and  pampered  till  their  bellies  dragged  on  the 
ground  as  they  walked,  and  some  were  such  rotund 
masses  of  obesity  that  they  did  not  appear  to  be  able 
to  walk  at  all. 

In  a  retired  spot,  surrounded  by  a  pretty  grove,  near 
one  of  the  vegetable  gardens,  stood  a  small  building, 
about  ten  feet  square,  having  but  a  single  opening. 
The  bodies  of  the  deceased  priests  were  put  in  here 
and  burned  till  consumed  to  ashes. 

The  large  dining-hall,  with  the  whole  fraternity  at 
dinner,  all  clothed  alike,  in  long,  loose  garments  of 
dingy  white,  or  pale,  dirty  yellow,  and  having  their 
heads  closely  shaven,  forcibly  reminded  us  of  the 
dining-rooms  in  some  of  the  state-prisons  we  had 
visited  in  our  own  country. 

In  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  foreign  hongs  in 
Canton,  and  leading  from  them,  are  "  Old  China 
street,"  "  New  China  street,"  and  "  Curiosity  street" 
— all  very  narrow,  perhaps  eight  feet  wide,  but  well 
paved,  and  very  cleanly.  They  are  filled  with  shops 
kept  with  scrupulous  neatness,  and  contain  all  varie- 
ties of  native  manufactures  that  are  in  demand  by 
foreigners,  on  whom  they  mostly  depend  for  patron- 
age.   Here,  among  many  other  articles,  you  will  find 


68  FIVE   YEARS   IN   CHINA. 

shawls,  silks  and  crapes  ;  lacquered-ware,  china-ware, 
beautiful  filigree-work  in  silver,  curious  carving  in 
ivory,  pearl,  wood  and  bamboo — furniture  of  ebony, 
rosewood  and  marble — rich,  quaint  and  costly. 

Those  streets  frequented  by  the  natives  only,  are 
narrower,  filthy,  and  crowded.  "  Hog  lane  "  is  a 
dirty  locality,  to  which  foreign  sailors  mostly  resort 
when  they  come  up  to  the  city  from  their  vessels, 
which  remain  anchored  at  Whampoa. 

One  day  in  walking  around  the  city,  outside  the 
walls,  being  permitted  only  to  look  through  the  mas- 
sive gateways  into  the  city  proper,  we  passed  through 
the  terrible  execution  ground,  which  seemed  to  be  a 
part  of  a  street,  a  little  wider  than  the  rest,  having 
dwellings  on  one  side,  and  a  high  wall  on  the  oppo- 
site.    Thrown  together  in  a  heap  against  this  wall, 
were  the  heads  of  some  twenty  persons,  several  of 
them  females,  who  had  been  executed  on  that  very 
morning  on  a  charge  of  pirac}r.  The  surviving  friends 
are  allowed  to  take  away  the  headless  bodies  ;  other- 
wise the  officers  have  them  put  into  the  roughest, 
coarsest  coffins  and  buried.     It  seems  a  vessel  had 
been  attacked  and  robbed  a  few  days  previous,  and  a 
government  junk  was  sent  out  in  search  of  the  pirates. 
Falling  in  with  a  vessel,  they  captured  it  and  brought 
the  crew  to  Canton   as  the   guilty  persons.     They 
might  have  been  so,  but  it  is  just  as  probable  they 
were  not.     For  I  was  informed  on  the  most  credible 
authority  that  this  is  the  common  method  of  punish- 
ing crimes  and  satisfying  the  laws.     It  would  appear 
to  be  a  general  principle  in  the  administration  of  jus- 
tice, that  somebody  must  suffer,  and  it  is  of  the  least 
consequence  whether  that  individual  be  the  guilty 


SOMETHING  ABOUT   CANTON   AND   AMOY.  69 

person  or  not.  This  is  known  to  have  been  the  fact, 
in  the  case  of  those  who  w^ere  beheaded  for  the  mur- 
der of  the  six  Englishmen,  two  vears  before.  The 
authorities  at  Canton,  in  order  to  satisfy  the  British 
consul,  arid  to  allay  the  excitement  which  the  horri- 
ble outrage  had  produced  in  the  foreign  community, 
took  four  men  from  prison,  who  had  been  put  there 
for  some  other  offence,  and  executed  them  as  the  real 
perpetrators  of  the  murder,  while  in  fact  they  were 
some  miles  distant  from  the  place  at  the  time  when  it 
was  committed. 

After  a  very  pleasant  visit  of  a  week  in  Canton, 
we  returned  to  our  ship  at  Whampoa,  and  were  com- 
pelled to  remain  there  at  anchor  during  a  very  des- 
tructive typhoon,  "  great  wind  " — in  which  we  after- 
ward learned,  a  number  of  foreign  vessels  were 
entirely  lost  at  different  points  on  the  coast.  At 
Macao  and  Hong-Kong,  very  many  Chinese  boats 
and  junks  were  wrecked,  and  hundreds  of  lives  lost. 
We  had  a  passage  of  three  days  back  to  Hong-Kong, 
and  after  remaining  there  two  more,  proceeded  on 
our  voyage  up  the  coast.  Encountering  strong  head 
winds  and  a  severe  gale,  we  were  nine  days  in  reach- 
ing Amoy,  300  miles  distant  from  Hong-Kong.  Our 
captain  put  into  this  port,  in  order  to  replace  his 
main-top-gallant  yard  which  had  been  carried  away 
in  the  storm,  and  to  correct  a  derangement  in  his 
chronometer,  which  was  necessary  before  proceeding 
on  his  voyage. 

Beating  against  a  head  wind,  is  a  discouraging 
business,  especially  wThen  you  sail  all  day  long,  your 
vessel  going  through  the  water  at  the  rate  of  ten 
knots  an  hour,  and  vourself  imagining  vou  are  mak- 


70  FIVE   YEARS   IN   CHINA. 

ing  fine  progress,  then  to  find  you  are  near  the  same 
point  from  which  you  started  in  the  morning.  So, 
for  two  or  three  days  did  we  beat  back  and  forth 
across  the  channel  of  Formosa,  against  a  strong  oppos- 
ing current,  making  the  same  points  of  land  each 
night  and  morning. 

It  was  on  a  lovely  afternoon,  on  the  fifteenth  of 
September,  1848,  when  at  last  we  made  the  head- 
lands at  the  entrance  of  the  harbor  of  Amoy. 

The  city  is  ten  or  fifteen  miles  from  the  sea,  and 
its  harbor  is  one  of  the  finest  on  the  coast  of  China. 
Your  course  in  reaching  it  is  nearly  west,  perhaps  a 
little  northwest,  entering,  as  we  did,  by  the  more 
southern  of  the  two  passages  leading  to  it.  This 
entrance  has  on  the  north  a  wide,  low,  sandy  beach 
for  some  distance,  and  then  it  gradually  rises  to  bar- 
ren, rocky  hills.  On  these  you  will  discover  two 
small  pagodas,  and  by  the  aid  of  a  glass,  one  or  two 
villages  or  hamlets,  in  green  depressions — they  can- 
not be  called  valleys — less  barren  than  the  other 
parts  of  the  island ;  for  such  it  is,  though  not  dis- 
tinguishable, from  your  position,  from  the  mainland 
which  rises  in  mountains  far  off  in  the  blue  dis- 
tance. 

On  the  south  you  have  bold,  high  mountains,  ris- 
ing abruptly  from  the  water,  covered  for  the  most 
part  with  stunted  trees,  while  here  and  there  you  see 
the  bare  rocks.  A  tall  pagoda  stands  on  the  top  of 
the  highest  peak,  and  it  is  visible  for  many  miles  at 
sea.  Snugly  anchored  in  a  little  bay  on  your  right, 
you  will  discover  two  or  three  foreign  vessels,  and  at 
first  you  may  suppose  they  are  lying  in  the  harbor  at 
Amoy,  but  you  soon  learn  your  mistake,  when,  on 


SOMETHING  ABOUT  CANTON  AND  AMOY.      71 

approaching  nearer,  you  see  no  signs  of  a  town. 
These  vessels  are  opium  smugglers.  They  take  up 
their  station  at  this  distance  from  the  city,  in  order 
the  more  securely  to  carry  on  the  traffic  in  this  con- 
traband article.  The  native  dealers  in  the  drug  can 
come  off  in  well  manned  and  armed  boats,  to  this 
retired  place,  with  less  danger  of  interruption  from 
the  custom-house  officers.  Beautifully  situated  on 
the  side  of  a  hill,  not  far  from  this  spot,  and  embow- 
ered in  trees  of  luxuriant  foliage,  is  a  temple  to  the 
"  Queen  of  Heaven  " — a  deity  worshipped  mostly  by 
sailors. 

Still  proceeding  toward  Amoy,  you  soon  approach 
a  line  of  five  or  six  rocks,  rising  perpendicularly  out 
of  the  water,  and  stretching  across  the-  mouth  of  the 
harbor.  They  present  quite  a  formidable  barrier  in 
appearance,  and  the  deepest  channel  lies  between 
two  so  near  together,  that  at  first  sight  you  would 
think  a  ship  could  scarcely  sail  between  them  with 
safety  ;  but  with  good  seamanship  and  a  steady  helm 
you  may  pass  them  unharmed.  The  whole  surface 
of  the  harbor  is  alive  with  fishing  boats,  of  every 
size  and  description,  from  the  frail  skiff  with  one  man, 
to  the  clumsy  junk  with  twenty — all  actively  and 
cheerfully  plying  their  vocation.  These  impart  a 
very  animated  appearance  to  the  whole  scene.  Every 
boat  large  enough,  is  stocked  with  a  family,  and  we 
saw  the  laughing  faces  of  fat,  dirty,  and  happy  chil- 
dren in  abundance,  together  with  men  and  women, 
assorting,  drying  and  salting  the  fish  they  had  taken. 
Now  you  come  opposite  to  the  island  of  Amoy  on  the 
north,  but  you  do  not  yet  see  the  town,  as  it  is  situ- 
ated  on   the   western    or  southwestern   side   of  the 


72  FIVE   YEARS   IN    CHINA. 

island — the  native  shipping,  with  perhaps  two  or 
three  foreign  sail,  indicate  its  position. 

The  southern  beach  of  this  island,  for  some  two 
miles,  is  of  white  sand,  very  firm  and  compact,  and 
it  affords  a  fine  walking  and  riding  ground  for  the 
foreigners  resident  at  Amoy.  A  long  range  of  bat- 
teries runs  along  the  beach,  which  were  mounted  by 
unwieldy  guns,  and  manned  by  cowardly  troops, 
during  the  war  in  184:1 — of  course,  to  little  purpose. 
Not  far  from  the  shore  the  rocks  rise  suddenly  into  a 
rugged  hill,  over  which  a  stone  wall  passes,  beginning 
at  the  water's  edge.  1  did  not  learn  whether  this 
barrier  extends  entirely  across  the  island,  so  as  to 
inclose  the  cit}r,  but  presumed  it  did.  We  had  few 
opportunities  for  making  inquiries,  as  our  vessel 
remained  there  but  a  few  hours. 

On  quite  a  commanding  eminence,  which  over- 
looks the  town,  the  British  flag  shows  you  the  consu- 
lar establishment.  At  the  time  of  our  visit,  there 
was  no  United  States  consulate,  but  one  has  since 
been  established.  The  wild  and  rugged  aspect  of  the 
rocks  on  this  part  of  the  island  is  greatly  increased. 
Huge  masses  seem  quite  torn  off  from  the  sides  of  the 
hill,  leaving  deep  clefts  and  yawning  chasms.  One 
large  fragment  on  the  shore,  seen  from  a  particular 
direction,  bears  some  resemblance  to  a  female  figure, 
in  a  sitting  posture.  From  this  circumstance,  we 
were  told,  the  British  residents  have  styled  it  "  Queen 
Bess." 

The  town  now  appears  in  sight,  and  in  its  leading 
features  is  like  most  other  Chinese  towns.  A  vast 
number  of  low  buildings  densely  crowded  together, 
having  tiled  roofs,  with  the  usual  sloping  curve  and 


SOMETHING  ABOUT  CANTON  AND  AMOY.      73 

projecting  eaves.     Among  these,  your  attention  will 
be  first  attracted  by  several  buildings  constructed  in 
the  native  style,  but  furnished  with  glass  windows, 
and   some  other  foreign  improvements.     These   are 
occupied  by  English  and  American  missionaries,  who 
received  and  entertained  us  with  the  most  cordial, 
Christian  hospitality.     That  small  island  on  your  left, 
and  just  opposite  the  town,  about  a  half  mile  distant, 
is   Ku-lang-su — the    site  of   the  British  garrison  in 
the  late  war.     Not  a  trace  of  its  foreign  occupancy 
now  remains.     As  soon  as  the  island  was  evacuated 
by  the  troops,  the  natives  destroyed  everything  that 
could  remind  them  of   the  unwelcome  visit  of  the 
"  foreign  devils,"  or  "  outside  barbarians."     As  there 
are  pleasant  walks  on  this  island,  it  is  visited  for  re- 
creation.    The  foreign  residents  have  a  burial-ground 
here   also,  and   the   tombstones   bear  some  worthy 
names.     Among  them,  Mrs.  Boone,  Mrs.  Doty  and 
Mrs.  Pohlman — a  trio  of  noble  women,  wives  of  mis- 
sionaries ;  and,  now  lately,  have  been  added  since  our 
visit,  those  of  the  Bev.  John  Lloyd,  who   died   of 
fever,  and  the  Bev.  Wm.  Pohlman.     The  latter  was 
drowned  by  the  wreck  of  the  schooner  "  Omega,"  in 
which  he  was  a  passenger  from  Hong-Kong  to  this 
place.     His  body  was  afterward  found  washed  ashore. 
During   our  short  stay,  we  had  formed  a  pleasant 
acquaintance  with  these  two  amiable  and  devoted 
brethren,  and  shared  their  friendly  attentions.     This 
privilege  can  never  be  ours  again  on  earth,  for  the 
Master  hath  taken   them  to  himself.     Faithful  and 
useful  to  an  eminent  degree,  they  have  been  thus 
early  and  mysteriously  called  to  a  higher,  holier  and 
happier   sphere.     The  early  departure  of   our  ship 


74  FIVE  YEARS   IN   CHINA. 

prevented  us,  much  to  our  regret,  from  seeing  and 
learning  more  of  Amoy.  Thus  was  afforded  us  an 
opportunity  of  becoming  slightly  acquainted  with  all 
the  missionaries  at  that  station  also.  Although  our 
ship  spent  but  a  single  day  there,  and  we  had  but 
little  opportunity  for  seeing  the  city,  still  a  few  r^purs 
intercourse  with  those  kind  friends  was  sufficient  to 
endear  them  to  our  hearts.  The  little  band  consisted 
of  ten  at  that  time — Dr.  Cumming,  of  Georgia,  a 
medical  missionary,  being  absent  on  a  visit  to 
America.  He  had  a  hospital  here,  and  was  expected 
to  return  soon.  From  Amoy,  we  sailed  out  of  the 
beautiful  harbor,  and  once  more  got  under  weigh 
toward  the  port  of  our  destination. 

The  wind  had  changed  in  our  favor,  and  in  a  few 
days  more  we  passed  the  several  clusters  of  small, 
rocky,  and  mostly  uninhabited  islands  off  the  mouth 
of  the  Yang-tsz-Kiang — "  Ocean-child-river."  Among 
them,  are  the  Saddle  Islands,  Bugged  Islands,  and 
Parker's  Islands.  Here  the  sea  becomes  discolored 
by  the  yellow  muddy  waters  of  this  mighty  river.  It 
is  the  Mississippi  of  China. 

The  lofty,  precipitous,  rugged,  rockbound  coast  has 
now  been  left  behind,  and  on  approaching  the  entrance 
to  this  great  river,  the  land  becomes  very  low  and 
flat.  Just  in  its  mouth,  which  is  from  sixty  to  a  hun- 
dred miles  wide,  is  "  Gutzlaff  Island,"  a  noted  and 
convenient  landmark  for  mariners. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


DESCRIPTION   OF   SHANGHAI. 


River  Hwang-pu — Appearance  of  the  Country  along  its  Banks — 
Foreign  Town— Pleasant  Reception— Mission  Buildings — English 
Church — London  Mission  Premises — Yang-king-pang — Streets — 
French  Consulate — Graves — Coffins — Geomancy — Repositories  for 
Coffined-bodies— "  Baby  Towers  "—City  Wall— Gates— Coins- 
Currency— Buildings — Streets — Sewers — Offal —  Shops  —  Pawnbro- 
kers— Various  Trades — Facilities  for  Missionary  Work. 

From  the  maps  you  may  be  led  to  suppose  that 
Shanghai  is  situated  immediately  on  the  shore  of  the 
China  sea,  or  at  least,  on  the  banks  of  the  Yang-tsz- 
Kiang,  the  main  artery  of  the  empire.  But  neither 
of  those  suppositions  would  be  correct.  After  sailing 
up  this  great  riyer — whose  embouchure  might  well 
be  called  a  sea  in  itself — some  forty  or  fifty  miles 
from  the  sea  proper,  you  enter,  on  the  south  bank,  a 
small  river,  called  the  Hwang-pu,  at  the  Chinese  vil- 
lage of  Wu-sung.  Then,  following  the  windings  of 
this  stream  in  a  southerly  direction,  for  eighteen 
miles  through  a  flat,  level,  and  exceeding  fertile 
country,  you  reach  Shanghai.  The  distance  in  a  right 
line  is  but  twelve  miles.  The  landscape  has  all  the 
diversity  and  beauty  that  every  hue  of  luxuriant 
vegetation,  and  gracefully  waving  groves  of  bam- 
boo can  impart ;  and  yet  it  is  monotonous  from  the 
total  absence  of  mountain  or  hill  scenery.  The  near- 
est hills  are  thirty  miles  west  of  Shanghai ;  and  the 


76  FIVE   YEARS   IN   CHINA. 

only  elevations  to  relieve  the  dull  level  of  the  whole 
face  of  the  country,  as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach,  are 
grave  mounds.  Nor  indeed  do  these  relieve  it,  for 
by  their  great  numbers  and  sameness  of  form  and 
size,  being  of  conical  shape  and  from  six  to  ten  feet 
high,  they  compose  a  monotony  nearly  as  unpleasant 
as  an  unbroken  plain. 

But  here  is  Shanghai  laid  out  in  regular  squares, 
with  narrow  streets  between,  and  yet  how  different  is 
its  appearance  from  that  of  an  American  seaport  city 
— New  York,  Charleston  or  New  Orleans.  Instead 
of  massive  blocks  of  stores,  four  or  six  stories  high, 
you  see  buildings  rather  resembling  country  villas. 
They  are  mostly  two  stories  high,  quite  spacious,  built 
of  brick,  and  plastered  outside  as  well  as  in,  so  that 
they  are  generally  white,  though  some  are  brown- 
washed.  They  have  piazzas,  or,  as  they  are  called 
here  in  the  East — verandas,  with  Venetian  blinds,  on 
all  sides.  Each  building  stands  quite  by  itself,  sur- 
rounded by  a  fine  yard,  tastefully  laid  out  aud  orna- 
mented with  flowers  and  shrubbery.  These  are  the 
mercantile  establishments,  or  Jiongs — the  Chinese 
term  for  stores  or  places  of  business,  because  such 
buildings  are  usually  in  "  ranges  "  or  "  rows."  They 
occupy  the  west  bank  of  the  river  for  about  a  half 
mile  in  length,  and  extend  inland  half  that  distance. 
Those  not  on  the  river  are  accessible  from  it  by  nar- 
row streets.  The  water  is  so  shallow  near  the  shore 
that  it  has  not  been  found  practicable,  as  yet,  to  build 
wharves.  Yessels  are  compelled  to  lay  at  anchor  in 
the  stream,  and  discharge  and  receive  their  cargoes 
by  means  of  large  boats,  built  under  the  direction  of 
foreigners,  expressly  for  the  purpose. 


DESCRIPTION   OF   SHANGHAI.  77 

There  is  a  public  promenade  in  front  of  the  foreign 
hongs,  thirty  feet  wide,  and  this  is  protected  from 
being  washed  away  by  the  inroads  of  high  tides,  by 
double  rows  of  piles.  Projecting  from  this  about  a 
hundred  feet  into  the  water,  are  several  stone  "jet- 
ties" or  small  wharves,  twelve  feet  wide,  to  facilitate 
the  landing  and  shipment  of  goods  by  the  "  cargo 
boats."  The  "  bund"  as  this  promenade  is  termed  in 
oriental  language,  is  alive  with  coolies — the  substi- 
tutes for  beasts  of  burden  in  China — carrying  chests 
of  tea,  and  bales  of  goods,  slung  from  bamboo  poles 
across  their  shoulders. 

I  have  only  been  speaking,  it  will  be  seen,  of  the 
foreign  town  of  Shanghai,  which  is  situated  immedi- 
ately adjacent  to  the  northern  suburbs  of  the  native 
city.  The  site  of  the  former  was  occupied  by  rice 
fields  ten  years  ago,  yet  so  rapid  has  been  its  growth 
that  more  business  is  now  done  here  than  in  Canton. 

Sailing  up  the  Hwang-pu  we  at  last  arrived  at  our 
long-desired  haven,  and  were  received  with  open 
arms  and  hearts,  by  the  missionaries  of  the  Southern 
Baptist  Board,  the  Rev.  Messrs.  Shuck,  Yates,  and 
Tobey,  with  their  families.  These  brethren,  though 
we  were  entire  strangers  to  them,  prompted  only  by 
their  own  kind,  Christian  feelings,  had  made  arrange- 
ments for  our  accommodation,  until  we  could  rent  a 
house,  and  had  sent  us  a  letter  of  welcome  which  met 
us  at  the,  mouth  of  the  Hwang-pu,  off  Wu-sung. 

How  grateful  such  an  unexpected  mark  of  affec- 
tionate interest  must  have  been  to  our  feelings  at  such 
a  time,  the  reader  can  best  judge.  "  They  shall,  in 
no  wise,  lose  their  reward." 

The  whole  time  that  elapsed  from  our  embarkation 


78  FIVE  YEARS  IN   CHINA. 

at  Boston,  till  we  landed  at  Shanghai  on  the  30th  of 
September,  was  five  months  and  one  week.  Our 
health  has  been  remarkably  good,  and  we  certainly 
have  cause  for  unbounded  gratitude  to  our  Heavenly 
Father  for  the  many  mercies  that  have  attended  us, 
and  for  our  safe  deliverance  from  the  dangers  of  the 
deep.  Especially  are  we  thankful  for  the  inestimable 
privilege  of  being  numbered  among  the  laborers  in 
this  vast  and  interesting  portion  of  our  Master's  vine- 
yard. 4 

One  of  the  first  objects  that  now  meets  the  eye,  as 
you  approach  Shanghai  by  the  river  Hwang-pu,  is 
the  mission  establishment  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church  in  the  United  States.  It  has  been  built  at 
that  point  since  our  arrival — the  very  spot  at  that 
time  being  a  rice-field.  The  Mission  then  occupied 
buildings  rented  from  the  natives,  two  miles  further 
up  the  river,  in  the  southern  suburbs  of  the  city. 
Those  commodious  houses  and  that  neat  church — all 
of  brick,  stuccoed,  and  white  or  drab-washed — have 
since  been  erected  under  the  oversight  of  Bishop 
Boone,  and  flourishing  missionary  operations  are 
there  in  full  progress.  Then,  it  was  a  half  mile  from 
the  business  portion  of  the  foreign  settlement,  and 
separated  from  it  by  a  wide  creek ;  but  the  creek  has 
since  been  bridged,  and  New  Shanghai,  as  it  is  called, 
has  extended  out  to  it,  and  even  gone  beyond.  The 
dwellings  of  Dr.  Bridgman,  and  the  other  ^mission- 
aries sent  out  by  the  "American  Board  of  Com- 
missioners for  Foreign  Missions  " — composed  of  Con- 
gregation alists,  Presbyterians,  and  Dutch  Reformed 
— are  adjacent  to  those  of  the  Episcopal  Mission. 
They  all  together  present  a  neat  and  comfortable 


DESCRIPTION   OF   SHANGHAI.  ,  79 

appearance  from  the  river,  on  the  bank  of  which  they 
stand,  or,  rather,  were  built ;  for  new  land  has  formed 
so  rapidly,  in  a  few  years,  by  deposits  from  the 
muddy  waters,  that  the  bank  is  now  quite  a  distance 
from  them. 

There  is  also  an  English  Episcopal  Church  on  one 
of  the  back  streets  of  the  new  town — the  third  run- 
ning parallel  with  the  river.  This  is  for  the  accom- 
modation of  foreigners  exclusively,  and  its  services 
are  conducted  by  a  British  chaplain,  supported  in 
part  by  the  government  which  appoints  him,  and 
partly  by  the  contributions  of  the  foreign  residents. 

The  premises  of  the  Loudon  Missionary  Society 
formed,  at  that  time,  the  western  limit  of  New 
Shanghai,  and  consisted  of  six  white,  two-story  build- 
ings, in  a  line  facing  the  south,  each  having  a 
veranda  or  portico,  in  front,  above  and  below. 
Several  of  them  were  of  semi-Chinese  architecture. 
The  one  on  the  extreme  left  was  a  hospital  for  natives, 
under  the  care  of  a  very  skillful,  and  amazingly 
energetic  English  surgeon  and  physician,  Doctor  Wil- 
liam Lockhart,  to  whom  I  was  indebted,  during  the 
whole  of  my  residence  in  Shanghai,  for  many  pro- 
fessional and  friendly  courtesies.  Immediately  before 
each  residence,  the  ladies  of  the  household  had  culti- 
vated gardens,  containing  a  great  variety  of  flowers, 
plants,  and  shrubbery — rare,  beautiful,  and  curious. 
A  few  rods  in  front  of  this  line  of  dwellings,  these 
missionaries  had  built  a  small  chapel  for  services  in 
English,  which  were  held  every  Sunday  morning  at 
nine  o'clock,  especially  for  the  benefit  of  their  own 
families ;  but  all  others  were  cordially  welcomed,  and 
invited  to  participate.     A  brick  wall,  eight  feet  high, 


80  FIVE   YEARS   IN   CHINA. 

inclosing  several  acres,  surrounds  the  entire  establish- 
ment. 

A  small  creek,  named  the  Yang-king-pang — 
"  Ocean-flowing  stream  " — running  into  the  river  from 
the  west,  forms  the  southern  boundary  of  New 
Shanghai.  It  is  crossed  by  several  substantial  stone 
bridges,  from  two  of  which  there  are  densely-crowded 
streets,  about  eight  feet  wide,  filled  with  Chinese 
shops  and  dwellings,  closely  built  on  each  side.  One 
of  these  streets  leads  to  the  "  North  Gate  "  of  the  city 
proper,  the  wall  of  which  is  about  two  hundred  yards 
from  the  Yang-king-pang.  The  other  leads  from  the 
bridge  which  crosses  that  creek  near  its  entrance  into 
the  Hwang-pu,  and  follows  the  windings  of  the  bank 
of  that  river  for  some  distance,  around  the  eastern 
face  of  the  city  wall,  to  the  "Great  East  Gate." 
Thence,  still  on,  between  the  wall  and  the  river — the 
intervening  space  of  a  few  rods  in  width  being  most 
densely  packed  with  shops  and  dwellings — on  to  the 
"Little  East  Gate."  Then,  still  continuing,  it  leads 
into  the  populous  suburbs  beyond  the  city  on  the 
south.  The  space  between  these  two  streets,  on  the 
one  hand,  and  the  Yang-king-pang  and  the  northern 
portion  of  the  city  wall  on  the  other,  was  occupied 
partly  by  the  grounds  of  the  French  Consulate,  and 
partly  by  innumerable  graves  and  coffins.  The  latter 
are  made  of  very  thick  pieces  of  wood,  with  the 
joints  so  well  fitted  and  so  tightly  cemented — together 
with  the  fact  that  the  bodies  within  are  laid  in  lime — 
that  no  odor  from  them  is  ever  perceived.  They  are 
placed  promiscuously  on  the  surface  of  the  ground, 
with  no  regard  to  order  or  regularity,  but  always 
according  to  direction  of  a  geomancer,  who  pretends, 


DESCRIPTION    OF   SHANGHAI.  81 

by  divination,  to  be  able  to  determine  precisely  what 
position  of  the  coffin — alike  whether  it  is  to  be  buried 
or  to  remain  on  the  surface  of  the  earth — will  most 
conduce  to  the  repose  of  the  spirit  of  the  departed. 
Accordingly,  after  going  through  sundry  conjurations, 
with  an  air  of  great  assumed  solemnity  and  impor- 
tance, consulting  his  tables  and  his  compass  over  and 
over  again  with  the  most  exact  minuteness,  and 
squinting  repeatedly  along  a  line,  he  determines  that 
the  foot  of  the  coffin  must  be  placed  in  a  certain 
direction — having  it  adjusted  and  re-adjusted  till  it 
does  not  deviate  a  hair's  breadth  from  the  point  indi- 
cated. This  custom  accounts  for  the  utter  irregu- 
larity everywhere  observed  in  the  locality  and  posi- 
tion of  coffins  and  graves.  At  the  same  time,  there 
are  many  burial-grounds  where  the  graves  are  placed 
close  together,  side  by  side.  The  conjurer  occupies 
a  length  of  time  and  assumes  airs,  in  proportion  to 
the  amount  he  receives  as  a  fee,  and  the  social  rank 
of  the  deceased  person.  Sometimes,  a  small  house  is 
built  of  brick  over  the  coffin,  completely  incasing  it, 
with  a  roof  of  tiles  on  the  top,  like  that  of  a  dwelling. 
A  small  aperture  is  left  in  one  end  or  both,  that  the 
spirit  may  have  free  'ingress  and  egress.  It  is  stuc- 
coed and  white-washed,  and  the  little  coffin-house, 
when  finished,  is  not  more  than  three  feet  high. 
There  are  also  in  that  neighborhood,  outside  the 
North  Gate,  several  spacious  inclosures,  surrounded 
by  white  walls,  from  ten  to  fourteen  feet  high,  in 
which  you  may  see  scores,  and  even  hundreds,  of 
these  thick,  heavy  coffins — all  tenanted — more  or  less 
richly  carved,  painted,  and  gilded,  according  to  the 

respective  ability  of  individuals.  ,  They  are  there 

4* 


82  FIVE  YEARS   IN   CHINA. 

placed  in  rows,  and  piled  up  in  tiers  one  upon  another 
under  long  sheds.  They  are  generally  the  bodies  of 
strangers,  and  are  deposited  with  the  expectation  of 
beiDg  at  some  time  removed  to  the  place  whence  the 
deceased  came.  The  natives  of  each  district  or  pro- 
vince, extensively  represented  here,  have  their  own  in- 
closure  for  this  purpose.  When  a  coffin,  after  remaining 
there  for  a  certain  number  of  years,  is  not  claimed  by 
the  friends  of  the  occupant,  it  is  taken  out  and  buried. 
I  have  seen  twenty  or  thirty,  at  a  time,  thus  interred, 
side  by  side  in  one  long,  wide  ditch.  There  are  also 
in  these  establishments  handsomely-finished  apart- 
ments, richly-gilded,  idols,  and  spacious  halls,  for 
worship,  or  for  feasting,  as  the  occasion  may  demand. 
These  depositories  for  the  dead  are  called  by  the 
natives,  way-kway  ;  and  as  there  are  many  people 
from  E~ing-po,  Foh-kien,  Canton,  and  other  places, 
you  will  find  here  the  Ning-po  Way-kway,  Kwang- 
tung  Way-kway,  Foh-kien  Way-kway,  and  so  on. 

In  this  same  vicinity,  several  missionaries  of  the 
Southern  Baptist  Board  had  their  dwellings  very 
near  the  city  wall ;  while  they  had,  in  a  most  eligible 
site  for  securing  congregations,  the  largest  church 
edifice  of  any  within  the  city.  Its  tall  square  tower 
is  a  conspicuous  object  from  every  direction,  and 
commands  the  finest  view,  anywhere  to  be  obtained, 
of  the  whole  surrounding  country  for  many  miles. 

Spme  little  distance  outside  the  city  walls — one 
near  the  north  gate,  and  the  other  beyond  the  west 
gate-rr-are  two  small  structures  of  octagonal  shape, 
built  of  brick,  plastered  and  whitewashed.  Each  of 
these  is  about  ten  feet  in  diameter  and  fifteen  or 
twenty  in  height.     Its  roof  runs  up,  for  a  few  feet, 


DESCRIPTION    OF    SHANGHAI.  83 

forming  a  diminutive  steeple.  About  ten  feet  from 
the  ground  are  four  openings  in  the  sides,  through 
which  infants,  who  die  when  but  a  few  months  old, 
are  thrown  in  promiscuously,  being  simply  wrapped 
and  tied  in  a  bit  of  coarse  cloth  or  matting.  They  are 
regarded  as  too  young  to  have  a  spirit  that  would  be  at 
all  distressed  at  the  body  being  deprived  of  the  ordi- 
nary rites  of  burial.  By  means  of  a  ladder  you  may 
climb  up  the  wall,  and  looking  in  at  one  of  these  open- 
ings, will  see  the  place  half-filled  with  these  packages, 
some  of  which  have  been  torn  open  and  the  contents 
half  eaten  by  rats,  that  nightly  feast  on  the  tiny 
bodies.  Lime  is  occasionally  thrown  in,  to  neutralize 
the  disagreeable  effluvium,  that  would  otherwise  ren- 
der any  approach  to  these  little  charnel-houses  into- 
lerable. But  even  this  does  not  entirely  obviate  the 
difficulty,  it  only  mitigates  it.  The  foreigners  resi- 
dent here,  call  these  depositories,  "  baby  towers." 

The  wall  around  the  city  of  Shanghai  is  in  the  form 
of  an  irregular  ellipse,  rather  approaching  to  cir- 
cular. It  is  about  thirty  feet  high  and  is  built  of 
dark  slate-colored  brick  of  very  large  size — being 
about  a  foot  and  a  half  long,  by  nine  inches  wide  and 
three  or  four  in  thickness.  At  the  foundation  the 
wall  is  about  four  feet  thick,  gradually  diminishing 
to  two,  at  the  top.  This  wall  is  greatly  strengthened 
by  a  heavy  bank  of  earth  thrown  up  against  it  on  the 
inner  side  and  reaching  to  within  from  two  to  four 
feet  of  the  top  of  the  brick  portion,  which  thus  forms 
a  parapet  along  its  whole  extent,  with  embrasures 
even"  few  feet,  and  provided  with  heavy  bastions  of 
brick  about  one  hundred  yards  apart,  around  its 
entire  circumference.     There  are  1246  of  these  walled 


81  FIVE   YEAKS    IN    CHINA. 

cities  in  China,  differing  of  course  in  size  and  popu- 
lation. The  wall  of  Shanghai  is  about  four  miles  in 
circuit,  and  is  surrounded  by  a  moat,  half  tilled  with 
stagnant,  fetid  water,  black  and  thick  with  mud  and 
filth. 

The  top  of  the  embankment  varies  from  four  to 
twelve  feet  in  width,  and  affords  a  pleasant  walk 
around  the  city.  It  has  six  gates.  The  north,  great 
and  little  east,  great  and  little  south,  and  the  west. 
The  gateways  are  low,  strong  double  arches  of  brick 
or  stone.  They  are  very  skillfully  constructed  for  de- 
fence against  such  assailants  as  they  were  designed  to 
resist ;  but  like  the  other  parts  of  the  wall,  of  very 
little  avail  against  foreign  cannon.  A  projection  of 
semi-circular  wall,  about  thirty  feet  in  diameter,  is 
built  out  from  the  main  wall.  It  is  entered  at  the 
side,  after  crossing  the  bridge  over  the  moat, in  aline 
parallel  with  the  wall,  under  the  first  massive  arch. 
You  then  find  yourself  in  the  open  semi-circular 
space,  in  which  you  see  a  sort  of  guardhouse  and 
several  shops.  Then  turning  to  the  right  you  pass 
through  the  second  arch,  in  a  line  at  right  angles 
with  the  first,  and  you  are  in  the  city.  Each  of  these 
arched  entrances  has  a  heavy  gate  made  of  wood,  and 
covered  with  thick  iron  plates  which  are  fastened  on 
with  large  rivets.  It  is  hung  on  strong  hinges,  and  is 
kept  closed  every  night.  The  gate-keeper,  however, 
will  open  it,  and  allow  you  to  pass  at  any  hour,  provided 
he  is  satisfied  you  are  not  a  robber  or  otherwise  danger- 
ous person  ;  and  provided  further  that  you  will  give 
him  a  fee  of  two  "  coins,"  or  "  cash,"  as  they  are  called 
by  foreigners.  These  are  small  circular  pieces  of 
brass  or  copper,  about  an  inch  in  diameter,  having  a 


DESCRIPTION   OF   SHANGHAI.  85 

square  hole  in  the  middle  for  the  purpose  of  being 
carried  on  strings.  It  is  the  only  native  coin  in  the 
empire — hence  the  general  name — a  coin.  It  has  on 
one  side  two  Chinese  characters,  signifying  the  name 
of  the  Emperor  in  whose  reign  it  was  issued,  and  two 
other — pau-tung — meaning  "precious  circulation." 
On  the  other  side,  are  the  same  words  in  the  Manchu 
Tartar  language.  Their  relative  value  is  from  twelve 
to  fifteen  hundred  for  a  dollar.  An  extensive  busi- 
ness is  carried  on  in  the  manufacture  and  circu- 
lation of  spurious  "  coins,"  containing  less  copper 
than  the  genuine.  Gold  and  silver  are  used  in  the 
form  of  lumps  and  bars,  and  their  value  estimated 
entirely  by  weight.  A  "  tael "  of  silver  is  worth  a 
dollar  and  a  third.  There  is  no  paper  currency,  pro- 
perly speaking ;  but  there  are  banks  of  deposit  and 
exchange. 

Standing  on  the  wall,  and  looking  over  the  city, 
the  prospect  is  a  wavy  sea  of  low  dark  roofs  of  tiles, 
with  here  and  there  the  taller  one  of  a  temple  or  some 
other  public  edifice,  rising  from  the  midst  of  the 
undistinguishable  mass ;  and  now  also  perchance 
several  of  temples  for  the  worship  of  the  true  and 
living  God. 

Outside  the  city  on  the  east,  the  thousands  of  junks 
in  the  river  present  a  forest  of  masts  surpassing  in 
number  that  at  New  York.  The  streets  are  nar- 
row, varying  from  six  to  ten  feet  in  width ;  dark, 
filthy,  and  crowded  with  streams  of  living  beings. 
They  are  also  very  irregular  and  winding ;  but  are 
mostly  quite  well  paved  with  stone  or  brick ;  some 
with  large  quadrangular  pieces  of  stone  which  also, 
serve  as  the  covering  of  the  sewers  that  run  beneath 


86  FIVE   YEARS   IN   CHINA. 

parallel  with  the  sewers  of  living  filth  above  them, 
along  many  of  the  streets.  They  serve^to  receive  and 
retain  the  foul  matter,  rather  than  conduct  it  off  into 
the  river,  as  seems  to  have  been  the  original  design ; 
for  the  site  of  the  city  is  so  low  that  at  high  tides  the 
water  is  sometimes  a  foot  deep  in  several  of  the  gate- 
ways. Often  at  such  times,  I  have  been  compelled  to 
hire  one  of  the  barefooted  Chinamen  to  carry  me  on 
his  back  through  the  gates.  They  are  there  with 
their  trowsers  rolled  up,  waiting  for  passengers,  and 
are  as  clamorous  for  you  to  employ  them,  as  are  the 
hackmen  and  porters  in  an  American  city. 

You  are  every  day,  and  at  all  hours  of  the  day, 
meeting  men  in  the  narrow,  crowded  streets,  carry- 
ing large  wooden  buckets  of  human  excrement, 
which  is  sold  for  manure.  This,  with  the  numerous 
inks,  shamelessly  open  and  exposed  on  the  public 
thoroughfares — occupants  and  all — constitutes  one  of 
the  most  annoying  and  disgusting  nuisances  of  a 
Chinese  town. 

As  the  buildings  on  these  streets  are  all  in  close 
contact,  there  is  no  opportunity  for  windows  in  the 
sides.  In  order,  therefore,  to  admit  as  much  light 
as  possible,  the  whole  front  is  so  constructed  that  it 
can  be  taken  out,  panel  by  panel,  leaving  the  shop 
and  its  contents  open  to  the  street,  the  dwelling  part 
of  the  house  being  generally  in  the  rear,  particularly 
in  the  business  sections  of  the  city.  The  roofs  of  the  op- 
posite sides  of  the  street  project  some  two  or  three  feet 
over  the  walls,  and  in  walking  through  the  narrow- 
est of  the  thoroughfares,  so  low  have  been  the  build- 
ings, that  I  have  touched  the  opposite  projecting 
roofs  with  my  extended  hands. 


DESCRIPTION   OF   SHANGHAI.  87 

The  pawnbrokers'  establishments  are  among  the 
most  extensive  and  respectable  places  of  business  in 
the  city.  They  cover  a  large  area  of  ground,  are  sur- 
rounded by  high  strong  walls,  and  are  filled  with 
thousands  upon  thousands  of  articles  of  ornament,  of 
wearing  apparel,  and  of  household  use.  The  busi- 
ness is  conducted  on  precisely  the  same  plan  as  in 
this  country,  but  is  far  more  reputable,  and  exceed- 
ingly lucrative.  The  proprietors  of  the  two  lar- 
gest in  Shanghai  are  said  to  be  millionaires. 

Looking  into  the  shops,  as  you  pass  along  these 
swarming  streets,  you  will  see  every  variety  of  trade, 
occupation,  and  handicraft  carried  on,  that  you  have 
ever  met  with  in  a  civilized  country,  and  even  others 
besides.  Several  branches  that  belong  to  one  trade 
among  us,  are  separate  and  constitute  distinct  ones 
in  China.  There  are  carpenters,  masons,  cabinet- 
makers, tailors,  blacksmiths,  locksmiths,  braziers, 
painters,  makers  of  boots  and  shoes  for  dry  weather, 
i.  e.  of  cloth  or  satin,  with  thick  soles  of  felt,  and 
makers  of  boots  and  shoes  for  wet  weather — *.  e.  of 
leather  with  large-headed  iron  nails  driven  into  the 
soles,  to  prevent  the  wearer  from  slipping.  Then  you 
will  see  makers  of  scissors  and  razors  ;  of  combs  and 
brushes ;  of  oiled  paper  lanterns  ;  of  horn  and  glass 
lanterns ;  of  oiled  paper  umbrellas ;  of  artificial 
flowers ;  trunk-makers ;  tub  and  bucket  makers ; 
needle-makers  ;  button  makers  ;  hat  and  cap  makers  ; 
makers  of  hair  pencils  (the  pen  of  the  Chinese) ;  sta- 
tioners ;  makers  of  stringed  instruments  of  music ; 
of  wind  instruments ;  of  drums  ;  weavers  of  ribbon  ; 
makers  of  utensils  of  bamboo;  rope-makers;  spin- 
ners of  sewing  silk  ;  makers  of  fireworks  ;  makers  of 


88  FIVE   YEARS   IN   CHINA, 

pipes ;  brokers'  shops ;  tobacco  shops  ;  bankers'  offices  ; 
printing  offices ;  drug  shops ;  rice  shops ;  liquor 
shops  ;  provision  shops  ;  eating  houses  ;  tea-drinking 
taverns;  opium  smokers'  dens;  grocery  stores;  book 
stores;  clothing  stores  ;  silk  stores;  tea  stores  ;  china 
ware  stores  ;  cotton  goods  stores  ;  stone-cutters  ;  car- 
vers in  wood ;  carvers  in  ivory ;  makers  of  idols ; 
manufacturers  and  sellers  of  wax  candles,  incense 
sticks,  and  gilt  paper — all  used  in  idolatrous  wor- 
ship ;  curiosity  shops  ;  wood  and  coal  shops ;  dealers 
in  brick  and  tiles ;  lumber  dealers  ;  oil  shops ;  makers 
of  gold  and  silver  ornaments  ;  millers  ;  butchers  and 
barbers  ;  wholesale  grocers  ;  dealers  in  lime  and  very 
coarse  paper,  which  is  used  in  making  mortar,  as  we 
use  hair ;  makers  of  oyster-shell  windows  ;  makers  of 
spectacles  ;  cotton  warehouses  ;  cotton-ginning  and 
cotton-picking  establishments ;  and  others  "  too  nu- 
merous to  mention."  These  are  all  plentifully  fur- 
nished with  customers  by  the  teeming  population  of 
this  city  and  its  vicinity. 

These  swarming  myriads  are  very  friendly  in  their 
disposition  toward  the  foreigners,  an4  are  ever 
ready,  willing,  and  often  eager,  to  hear  the  Yah-Soo- 
taw-le — the  "  Jesus  doctrines."  Being  a  great  mart 
both  for  trade  with  foreigners  and  the  various  parts 
of  their  own  extensive  country,  thousands  flock  to  it 
from  almost  every  district  in  the  interior,  and  are 
thus  many  of  them  brought  under  the  sound  of  the 
Gospel ;  for  it  is  preached  daily  in  five  or  six  differ- 
ent chapels  scattered  throughout  the  city.  Books  and 
tracts  are  also  distributed  at  these  points- and  by  mis- 
sionaries in  the  streets,  on  board  the  junks,  and  at 
public  places  of  resort,     A  large  number  of  these 


DESCRIPTION    OF   SHANGHAI.  89 

silent  messengers  fall  into  the  hands  of  strangers  from 
the  interior,  who  doubtless  cany  them  home,  and  in 
many  instances  read  them  attentively  and  lend  them 
to  their  neighbors.  Not  long  since  an  intelligent 
man  came  here  from  many  miles  distant,  sought  out 
and  found  some  of  the  missionaries,  and  informed 
them  that  he  and  his  family  had  been  induced  to  for- 
sake idolatry,  from  reading  a  religious  tract  that  had 
been  brought  into  his  neighborhood  from  Shanghai. 
He  came  for  the  purpose  of  learning  more  fully  these 
"new  doctrines,"  and  has  himself  written  one  or  two 
tracts  showing  the  absurdity  of  idol-worship.  One 
day  as  I  was  walking  out  with  a  missionary  who 
speaks  the  language  fluently,  a  man  pressed  his  way 
through  the  crowd  that  had  gathered  around  us,  as 
we  stopped  in  one  of  the  shops,  saying  he  was  from 
Nanking,  and  earnestly  begged  us  to  go  there  as 
there  were  no  such  teachers  in  that  city. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE   HOUSES    THEY   LIVE   IN. 

Materials  used  and  Manner  of  Building — Floors — Oyster-shell  Win- 
dows— Courts — Walls — Doors — Ornamental  Work — Furniture — 
Idols — Ornaments — Wells — A  Residence  Procured — Servants-^- 
Cooking — Learning  to  Talk — Native  Politeness— Civilities — Mode 
of  Serving  Tea — Smoking  Tobacco— Opium — Snuff— Forms  of  Sa- 
lutation. 

Chinese  houses  are  singular-looking  affairs  to  one 
just  arrived  from  the  United  States.  They  are  gene- 
rally of  one  story ;  though  you  will  frequently  meet 
with  them  one  and  a  half  or  two  stories  high.  In 
building  them,-  a  slender  frame  of  round  posts,  or 
large  poles,  is  first  put  up,  and  then  the  thin  brick 
walls  are  built  in  afterward,  filling  up  the  spaces 
between  the  posts  and  other  parts  of  the  remarkably 
well-fitted  frame.  The  clay  of  which  the  bricks  are 
made,  is  of  a  much  darker  color  than  that  used  in 
America,  so  that  when  burnt,  the  bricks  are  almost 
black.  This  would  give  the  houses  a  very  dark 
appearance,  unless  they  were  plastered  and  white- 
washed, which  is  usually  the  case. 

For  the  roof,  the  rafters  are  placed  about  six  inches 
apart,  and  upon  them  are  laid  rows  of  thin  flat  bricks, 
close  together,  forming  what  the  natives  call  the  "  tile 
floor,"  or  floor  for  the  tiles ;  supplying  the  place  of 
what  our  carpenters  call  "  sheeting,"  for  upon  it  rows 


THE   HOUSES   THEY   LIVE   IN.  91 

of  curved  tiles  are  laid  in  mortar,  to  prevent  them  from 
sliding.  They  also  lap  over  each  other  so  as  to  shed 
rain  perfectly*  The  form  of  the  roof  is  not  always 
straight  from  the  ridge  to  the  eaves,  as  on  our  houses  in 
the  United  States,  but  is  often  slightly  concave  as  it 
slopes  downward,  giving  it  rather  a  graceful  appear- 
ance. The  four  corners  of  the  roofs  of  temples,  public 
buildings,  and  the  dwellings  of  some  of  the  wealthy, 
curve  upward  for  several  feet  and  are  decorated  with 
ornamental  stucco,  carved  work,  and  painting,  and 
often  have  small  bells  or  wooden  imitations  of  them, 
hanging  underneath.  The  houses  of  the  poor,  very 
frequently  have  merely  the  curved  tiles,  laid  upon 
the  rafters,  without  the  thin  brick  "  sheeting." 

The  ground  floor  of  nearly  all  Chinese  dwellings  is 
literally  a  ground  floor,  being  nothing  but  the  bare 
earth  trodden  hard,  except  the  apartment  in  which 
visitors  are  received.  This  generally  has  a  floor  of 
large  bricks,  from  a  foot  to  a  foot  and  a  half  square, 
very  smoothly  planed  and  nicely  fitted  together.  In 
two-story  houses,  the  second  floor  is  made  of  plank, 
planed  on  one  side.  Which  side  do  you  suppose  is 
placed  upward  ?  Why,  the  smooth  side,  to  be  sure. 
By  no  means.  The  rough  side  is  upward  and  the 
smooth  side  is  nailed  down  upon  the  beams.  Why 
is  this  ?  Because  the  Chinese  houses  are  never  ceiled 
over-head,  and  the  floor  is  nailed  in  this  manner,  so 
that  the  smooth  surface  of  the  plank  may  appear  to 
those  below.  As  the  upper  part  is  used  only  or 
chiefly  for  sleeping  rooms,  it  is  not  considered  at 
all  important  that  they  be  either  good-looking  or 
cleanly. 

The  windows,  in  those  houses  which  have  them  at 


92  FIVE   YEARS   IN   CHINA. 

all,  are  of  small  pieces  of  oyster  shell  about  two 
inches  square,  ground  sufficiently  thin  simply  to 
allow  light  to  pass  through,  but  you  cannot  see  so  as 
to  distinguish  objects  through  them — they  are  trans- 
lucent, but  not  transparent.  These  pieces  are  fitted 
into  frames  or  sashes  of  little  squares,  differing  in 
number  according  to  the  size  of  the  window.  The 
hinges,  both  of  doors  and  windows,  are  always 
wooden  ;  very  much  like  those  of  large  gates  you 
so  often  see  at  home. 

The  two  story — or,  perhaps,  it  may  more  properly 
be  called  a  story-and-a-half  house,  is  one  of  the  better 
sort  of  Chinese  dwellings  ;  but  instead  of  building  it 
large  enough  to  give  them  all  the  room  they  want, 
they  frequently  build  two,  three,  and  sometimes  four, 
of  nearly  the  same  size  and  appearance,  one  behind 
another,  from  ten  to  twenty  feet  apart,  and  united  by 
walls  on  each  side.  There  is  a  small  open  court 
between  the  tenements,  which  are  connected  together 
by  two  narrow  corridors — one  on  either  side  of  the 
court.  These  corridors  are  four  or  five  feet  wide,  and 
have  oyster-shell  windows  opening  into  the  court  on 
one  side,  and  the  brick  wall  which  forms  the  gable 
ends  of  each  tenement,  is  continued  for  the  whole 
length,  and  forms  the  other  side.  These  two  long 
high  walls  are  usually  the  outer  walls  of  the  premi- 
ses on  both  sides,  and  constitute  the  separation  from 
the  neighbors.  There  is  often  a  small  building  or 
gateway  immediately  on  the  street,  in  front  of  all  the 
others,  and  you  have  to  pass  through  this  to  get  to 
the  main  entrance.  This  is  a  very  heavy  two-leaved 
door,  made  of  thick  pine  plank,  and  is  fitted  in  a  high 
stone  or  brick  wall,  and  fastened  with  a  large  wooden 


THE   HOUSES   THEY   LITE   IN.  93 

bar  on  the  inside.  Then  at  the  rear  of  the  whole 
establishment  there  is  also  a  high  wall,  and  this,  too, 
has  a  gate  or  door,  well  secured  like  the  one  in  front. 
These  walls  are  necessary  to  protect  the  inmates  from 
the  attacks  of  thieves  and  robbers,  who  are  very 
numerous  in  every  part  of  China. 

The  gateway  in  front  is  generally  the  most  orna- 
mental, and  fancifully- wrought  mason  work  about  the 
whole  establishment.  It  frequently  has  figures  of 
lions  or  tigers — such  lions  and  tigers,  however,  as 
never  existed,  except  in  the  imagination  of  the  artist 
— carved  in  stone,  and  placed  on  the  ground,  one  on 
each  side  of  the  door,  to  represent  the  guardians  of 
the  entrance.  These  images  are  always  found  at 
the  gateways  of  temples,  and  of  many  other  public 
buildings.  Over  the  door,  on  a  tablet,  is  a  motto,  or 
a  moral  maxim,  from  the  writings  of  some  of  their 
ancient  philosophers.  This  entrance  opens  into  the 
first  court,  which  is  well  paved  with  brick,  and  cross- 
ing it  in  the  middle,  is  generally  a  walk  of  the  same 
material,  raised  a  few  inches  above  the  rest,  and  lead- 
ing directly  into  the  lower  room  of  the  first  tenement. 
This  is  always  the  reception  room.  The  floor,  as 
before  mentioned,  is  of  smoothly  planed,  nicely  fitted 
tiles,  or  large  square  bricks. 

The  furniture  of  this  room  usually  consists  of  a 
square  table  placed  against  the  side  of  the  apartment, 
directly  opposite  the  entrance,  and  then,  on  each 
side  of  the  table  are  placed,  alternately,  chairs  and 
small  stands,  a  foot  or  so  square  at  the  top,  for  hold- 
ing the  cup  of  tea,  and  the  pipe  and  tobacco,  that  are 
invariably  offered  to  all  visitors.  Sometimes  these 
chairs  and  tea-stands  are  arranged  around  the  sides 


94  FIVE  TEARS   IN   CHINA. 

of  the  room,  and  sometimes  they  are  placed  in  two 
opposite  rows  ten  or  twelve  feet  apart,  from  the  side 
of  the  table  in  the  centre,  in  a  straight  line  to  each 
side  of  the  entrance.  There  is  generally,  too,  a  pic- 
ture of  some  idol  or  of  the  family  ancestors,  hanging 
against  the  wall  over  the  table,  on  which  there  are  two 
candlesticks,  sometimes  very  large,  and  elaborately 
wrought — one  on  each  side — for  burning  red  wax 
candles ;  and  a  vessel  of  brass,  pewter,  or  earthen- 
ware, containing  ashes,  into  which  sticks  of  incense 
are  placed  upright,  and  burned  in  worship  to  these 
painted  representations. 

There  are  also  ornamental  paintings  in  water 
colors — or  copies  of  favorite  sayings  of  Confucius,  or 
some  other  philosopher,  or  some  quotations  from 
their  poets  in  very  large  characters — on  scrolls  about 
a  foot  wide  and  five  or  six  feet  long,  mounted  like 
maps,  and  suspended  on  the  walls  around  the  apart- 
ment. Gaudily  adorned  lanterns  of  paper,  horn,  or 
glass  and  of  various  shapes  and  sizes,  with  heavy  silk 
tassels  at  the  corners,  hang  from  the  joists,  over- 
head. 

In  the  first  and  second  courts,  you  will  generally 
see  flowers,  plants  and  shrubbery — some  of  them 
very  beautiful — in  flower-pots  often  quite  like  those 
we  have  in  America.  Sometimes  there  is  a  fine 
large  tree,  which  is  valued  highly,  both  for  orna- 
ment and  shade.  In  the  third,  fourth  or  last  court, 
you  will  be  likely  to  see  round  wooden  or  earthen 
wash-tubs  and  buckets,  and  a  woman  washing  clothes. 
In  the  corner  of  this  court  is  a  well,  having  for  its 
mouth,  a  round,  or  a  five  or  six-sided,  stone,  about 
a  foot  and  a  half  in  diameter,  and  a  foot  high,  a  little 


THE  HOUSES  THEY  LIVE   IN.  95 

larger  at  the  bottom  than  at  the  top.  This  stone  has 
a  hole  cut  through  it,  sufficiently  large  for  a  small 
bucket  to  pass  through,  but  not  large  enough  for  a 
little  child  to  fall  through.  So  that,  although  only 
a  foot  higher  than  the  brick  pavement  of  the  court, 
it  is  not  dangerous  to  the  children,  of  whom  there  is 
generally  a  plentiful  supply. 

In  one  or  two,  and  frequently  in  all  the  courts,  you 
may  see  large  earthen  jars  about  the  size  of  a  barrel, 
placed  in  the  corners  to  catch  the  rain  water,  which 
is  much  better  than  well-water.  To  facilitate  this, 
the  houses  are  furnished  with  eave-troughs,  and  the 
water  is  conducted  from  these  to  large  jars  through 
long  bamboo  poles,  which  being  hollow,  and  having 
had  the  natural  partitions  at  the  joints  forced  out  by 
a  long  iron  rod — serve  as  well  as  the  tin  conductors 
that  are  attached  to  our  houses  for  the  same  pur- 
pose. In  some  instances,  these  jars  are  kept  always 
filled  with  water,  to  be  used  only  in  case  of  fire. 

In  the  summer  time,  the  first  and  second  courts 
are  frequently  provided  with  an  awning  of  coarse 
cotton  cloth,  or  of  matting,  as  a  protection  from  the 
rays  of  the  sun  ;  or  sometimes,  instead  of  this,  there 
is  a  shed  or  roof  of  small  squares  of  oyster  shell, 
which  admit  the  light,  but  to  some  extent  exclude 
the  heat.  Covered  in  this  manner,  the  court  has  a 
table,  it  may  be,  placed  in  the  centre,  and  chairs  or 
benches  at  a  little  distance  from  it,  for  visitors, — so 
it  becomes  a  summer  sitting-room. 

Most  of  the  foregoing  description  belongs  to  the 
dwellings  of  the  wealthy.  The  abodes  of  the  great 
majority  of  the  people  are  dark,  dirty,  gloomy  and 
comfortless,  with  floors  of  earth,  often  without  win- 


96  FIVE   TEAKS   IN   CHINA. 

dows ;  with  neither  stoves  nor  fire-places.  There  is 
a  kind  of  furnace  or  cooking-range,  in  which  a  fire  is 
kept,  only  when  cooking  is  required,  because  of  the 
scarcity  and  expensiveness  of  fuel. 

After  a  diligent  effort  for  about  two  weeks,  during 
which  we  had  shared  the  hospitalities  of  our  South- 
ern Baptist  Missionary  friends,  we  succeeded  in  rent- 
ing a  Chinese  dwelling  on  the  North  Gate  street, 
about  half  way  between  the  narrow  stone  bridge 
across  the  Yang-king-pang  and  the  wall  of  the  city. 
It  was  one  of  the  better  sort ;  but  still,  required  con- 
siderable work  to  render  it  at  all  comfortable.  Domi- 
ciled here  at  last,  with  a  Chinese  woman  for  a  nurse 
to  our  little  boy,  and  a  young  man  for  a  cook  and 
washer,  we  began,  in  good  earnest,  our  life  in  China. 
Chinamen  make  excellent  cooks,  and  they  very 
readily  learn  our  modes  of  culinary  art.  One  of 
their  modes  of  preparing  a  fowl  for  cooking,  would 
seem  to  be  a  little  singular.  For  instance,  one  day 
on  looking  into  the  kitchen,  my  wife  saw,  to  her  great 
horror,  a  chicken  running  about  perfectly  stript  of  its 
feathers — it  had  been  plucked  alive  !  Whereupon 
she  launched  a  volley  of  rather  emphatic,  and  not 
very  complimentary  English,  at  the  cook  ;  at  which 
he  seemed  somewhat  surprised,  but  not  much  wiser. 
With  a  small  stock  of  the  most  common  phrases, 
which  had  been  furnished  us  by  our  kind  friends, 
and  such  additions  to  it  as  we  could  make  from  day 
to  day,  in  attempts  at  conversation  with  our  servants ; 
together  with  the  assistance  of  a  native  teacher  whom 
I  had  employed,  we  gradually  succeeded  in  making 
ourselves  understood.  But  it  was  often  in  a  most 
amusing,  as  well  as  imperfect  manner.     Intercourse 


THE  HOUSES   THEY   LIVE   IN.  97 

with  the  people  in  onr  daily  walks,  we  also  found 
very  serviceable  in  promoting  onr  acquaintance  with 
the  colloquial  dialect  of  Shanghai.  The  inhabitants 
are  always  civil  and  affable,  greeting  us  with  smiles 
and  polite  salutations.  In  this  respect,  they  present 
the  strongest  contrast  with  the  people  of  Canton. 
Especially,  when  you  enter  their  dwellings,  are  you 
welcomed  in  the  most  hospitable  style.  They  urge 
you  to  sit,  and  then  immediately  have  cups  of  tea 
made  and  placed  on  small  stands  before  you,  and  you 
are  solicited  to  u  eat  tea."  A  teaspoonful  of  the  leaves 
is  first  put  into  the  cup,  then  boiling  wrater  is 'poured 
upon  them,  and  the  very  small  saucer  is  placed  on 
the  top  to  prevent  the  escape  of  the  aroma.  A  half  of 
a  green  olive  is  also  added  when  a  particularly  deli- 
cate flavor  is  desired.  As  soon  as  it  becomes  suffi- 
ciently cool,  they  begin  to  sip  it  through  an  opening 
made  between  the  saucer  and  the  cup,  by  sliding  the 
former  a  little  to  one  side.  Milk  and  sugar  are  never 
used  by  them.  Pipes  and  finely  cut,  mild  tobacco, 
are  also  brought  at  the  same  time,  and  you  are 
importuned  to  "  eat  smoke."  Smoking  opium — the 
only  mode  in  which  that  drug  is  used — is  called, 
"  eating  the  great  smoke?  They  never  chew,  nor  do 
they  make  cigars ;  but  excellent  snuff  is  made  and 
used  to  a  considerable  extent.  It  is  carried  in  a  very 
small,  curious,  and  sometimes  very  costly  vial,  to  the 
stopper  of  which  is  attached  a  diminutive  spoon  of 
horn,  shell,  gold  or  silver.  The  small  quantity  of 
snuff  dipped  out  by  it,  is  deposited  on  the  back  of 
hand,  whence  it  is  taken  up  on  the  back  of  the  long 
thumb-nail,  and  transferred  to  the  nostrils.  The 
bowl  of  the  pipe  is  so  very  small  as  to  require  replen- 

5 


98  FIVE   YEARS   IN   CHINA. 

ishing  after  two  or  three  whiffs.  Metallic  pipes  of 
one  variety,  are  so  constructed  that  the  smoke  passes 
through  water  before  it  is  inhaled. 

The  salutation  between  two  Chinamen  when  they 
meet,  consists  in  each  clasping  and  shaking  his  own 
hands,  instead  of  each  other's,  and  bowing  very  pro- 
foundly, almost  to  the  ground,  several  times.  A 
question  more  common  than  "How  do  you  do?" — is, 
"  Have  you  eaten  rice  ?"  This  being  the  great  staple 
article  of  food  throughout  the  empire,  and  forming 
the  chief,  and  indispensable  part  of  every  meal — it  is 
taken  for  granted  that  if  you  have  "  eaten  rice,"  you 
are  well. 

Etiquette  requires  that  in  conversation,  each  should 
compliment  the  other  and  everything  belonging  to 
him,  in  the  most  laudatory  style ;  and  depreciate  him- 
self with  all  pertaining  to  him,  to  the  lowest  possible 
point.  The  following  is  no  exaggeration,  though 
not  the  precise  words  : 

"  "What  is  your  honorable  name  ?" 
"  My  insignificant  appellation  is  Wong." 
"  Where  is  your  magnificent  palace  ?" 
"  My  contemptible  hut  is  at  Suchau." 
"  How  many  are  your  illustrious  children  ?" 
"  My  vile,  worthless  brats  are  five." 
"  How  is  the  health  of  your  distinguished  spouse  I" 
"  My  mean,  good-for-nothing  old  woman  is  well." 
In  leaving  his  house  you  must  lack  along  out, 
bowing  to  the  host  and  shaking  your  hands  all  the 
way.     He  follows  you,  doing  the  same,  and  repeat- 
ing, "  Slowly  go,  slowly,  slowly  go."    This  is  to  sig- 
nify his  reluctance  at  your  departure. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

CHINESE   BEGGARS   AND   CHINESE   COSTUMES. 

Beggary — Dead  Bodies — Starvation — Benevolence  of  Foreigners — 
Gipsies — Extreme  Suffering — Drowned — Loathsomeness  and  Filth 
— Regular  Organization — ' '  Beggar-King  " — -Regulations — Punish- 
ments— Beating — Cutting  off  the  Queue — Description  of  the  dif- 
ferent Articles  of  Dress — Mode  of  Dressing  the  Hair — The  Queue — 
Headbands — Hats  and  Caps — Long  Nails — Use  of  Long  Sleeves — 
Materials  of  Clothing — A  Novel  Thermometer — Winter  Clothing- 
Boots  and  Shoes — Mode  of  indicating  Official  Rank — Yellow,  the 
Imperial  Color — Mark  of  Respect  to  Age — Binding  the  Feet  of 
Females — Origin  of  the  Custom. 

One  portion  of  the  people  most  frequently  encoun- 
tered in  our  daily  walks  and  most  revolting  in  aspect, 
is  composed  of  the  beggars.  Mendicancy  constitutes 
a  regular,  occupation,  and  is  followed  by  vast  num- 
bers. The  squalid  filth  and  wretchedness  of  this  class 
of  the  population  is  indescribable.  Nearly  every 
time  I  have  walked  through  the  city,  I  have  seen  one 
or  more  dead  in  the  streets.  One  afternoon  as  I  was 
crossing  a  bridge,  there  sat  a  man  on  the  stone  steps, 
very  thin  and  haggard,  apparently  asleep.  The  next 
morning  as  I  passed  the  same  way,  he  lay  stretched 
out,  a  lifeless  corpse.  Again,  on  a  very  cold  morning 
after  a  rain,  I  saw  two  men,  with  scarcely  rags 
enough  to  cover  them,  lying  dead  within  a  few  feet  of 
each  other.  The  Chinese  do  not  manifest  the  least  con- 


100  FIVE   YEARS   IN   CHINA. 

cern  at  these  sights,  and  it  is  not  surprising,  perhaps, 
when  you  bear  in  mind  that  they  see  them  every  day. 
The  dead  bodies  lie  exposed  until  the  city  authori- 
ties have  them  placed  in  the  rudest  possible  coffins* 
and  removed.  They  are  then  taken  to  a  public  bury- 
ing-ground  and  piled  one  upon  another,  five  or  six 
deep,  in  a  trench  which  is  kept  always  open,  a  little 
earth  being  thrown  on  the  upper  coffin  of  the  pile, 
and  then  another  tier  is  begun  immediately  against 
the  exposed  sides  of  the  last. 

For  several  winters,  some  of  the  benevolent  for- 
eigners at  Shanghai  have  established  and  sustained  by 
subscription  a  "soup  kitchen,"  from  which  hundreds 
of  beggars  and  other  destitute  poor  of  the  native  pop- 
ulation receive  a  bowl  of  rice  soup,  or  congee,  every 
morning.  Tickets  are  distributed  to  them  on  a  bridge 
crossing  a  canal  not  far  from  the  kitchen ;  and  each 
one  receiving  his  ticket  can  pass  over  and  get  his 
bowl  of  congee.  Strange  as  it  may  appear,  a  kind  of 
brokerage  is  carried  on  with  these  tickets,  and  many 
particularly  opium  smokers,  who  prefer  a  few  "  cash  " 
to  lay  out  in  the  purchase  of  this  pernicious  drug,  will 
sell  their  tickets  at  half  their  value,  even  while  they 
are  almost  starving  for  want  of  food.  So  inveterate 
is  the  grasp  by  which  this  destructive  habit  holds  its 
victims.  Such  an  assemblage  of  squalid  wretchedness 
as  congregates  each  morning  at  the  bridge  before 
mentioned,  to  receive  "  tickets  for  soup,"  you  cer- 
tainly »ever  saw,  and  would  find  it  difficult  to  ima- 
gine. Beggars  of  every  possiblejlescription,  from 
decrepit  age  to  prattling  infancy — many  clad  in  mats 
of  straw,  with  not  even  a  rag  of  cloth,  literally  speak- 
ing, to  screen  them  from  the  cold  or  to  hide  their 


CHINESE  BEGGAK3   AND  CHINESE  COSTUMES.         101 

nakedness — while  others,  a  little  better  off,  are  sup- 
plied with  rags,  and  that  is  all.  I  have  seen  them 
wearing  nothing  but  a  mat  of  straw,  about  seven  feet 
long  and  two  feet  wide,  with  a  hole  in  the  middle, 
through  which  the  head  is  thrust,  while  the  sides, 
arms,  and  legs  were  entirely  naked.  One  morning, 
when  hundreds  were  collected  on  the  bridge,  the  rail- 
ing on  one  side  gave  way  and  many  fell  into  the 
creek.  One  poor  fellow  was  drowned,  I  dragged  him 
out,  and  tried  to  resuscitate  him,  but  in  vain.  Another, 
who  was  rescued  barely  alive,  died  in  the  afternoon. 
There  is  a  class  who  correspond  to  the  character  and 
habits  of  gipsies  in  Europe,  and  who  flock  to  Shang- 
hai in  winter,  and  disappear  with  the  return  of  warm 
weather.  With  these,  also,  as  with  a  vast  number  of 
constant  residents  here,  beggary  is  a  regular  business, 
and  they  in  particular,  seem  to  thrive  on  it,  for  a  fat- 
ter, healthier  looking  set  of  people  than  many  of  these 
gipsy-beggars  you  never  saw.  They  come  among  the 
rest,  to  avail  themselves  of  the  bounty  of  the  foreign- 
ers, and  it  is  often  quite  an  interesting,  not  to  say 
an  affecting  sight,  to  see  a  mother  with  a  fat,  chubby, 
smiling,  naked  babe,  suspended  in  her  bosom  by  a 
band  of  rags  passing  over  her  shoulders.  This  little 
nursling  is  taught,  as  soon  as  it  can  direct  its  tiny 
arms,  to  hold  out  its  hand  to  every  passer-by  for  a 
cash  or  two.  It  is  impossible  to  resist  the  mute 
pleading  of  these  pretty  gipsy  babies,  and  if  you  go 
out  with  a  pocket  full  of  copper  cash,  you  will  find  it 
empty  when  you  return,  if  many  of  these  beggars 
have  crossed  your  path. 

On  one  occasion,  as  Mrs.  T.  and  myself  were  walk- 
ing out,  we  discovered  a  beggar  indulging  in  great 


102  FIVE   YEABS   IN  CHINA. 

glee  over  a  very  small  dead  pig  which  he  had  just 
found  in  a  ditch,  and  at  another  time  we  saw  one  of 
the  same  wretched  class,  rejoicing  in  the  possession  of 
a  dead  cat  which  he  had  picked  up  a  moment  before. 
Its  appearance  indicated  that  it  had  been  dead  for  seve- 
ral days.  No  language  can  adequately  describe  the 
loathsome  filth  and  misery  of  this  portion  of  the 
native  population.  On  any  pleasant  morning,  you 
may  see  numbers  of  them  sitting  in  the  sunshine  on 
the  city  wall,  picking  and  eating  the  vermin  from 
each  other's  bodies.  These  pitiable  human  beings  exist 
in  great  numbers,  and  nothing  but  the  Gospel, 
operating  upon  the  hearts  of  the  rulers  and  legisla- 
tors, and  changing  the  whole  social  condition  of  the 
people,  can  effect  any  permanent  amelioration  of  this 
sad  state  of  things.  This  leaven  is  doubtless  already 
beginning  to  work  its  way  silently  though  slowly 
through  the  great  mass  of  this  vast  population.  Of  the 
hundreds  who  daily  hear  the  Word  of  Life  in  five  or 
six  Protestant  churches,  we  cannot  but  believe  that 
here  and  there,  one  receives  it  in  "  a  good  and  honest 
heart,"  and  that  it  is  taking  root  to  manifest  itself 
again,  as  "  first  the  blade,  then  the  ear,  and  after  that 
the  full  corn  in  the  ear." 

In  every  large  city  there  is  a  vast  organization  of 
these  mendicants,  to  which  every  one  who  begs  for  a 
livelihood  must  belong.  At  the  head  of  it  is  one 
styled  the  "  Beggar-King."  His  authority  is  absolute, 
and  to  him  all  the  others  are  amenable.  It  has  a 
code  of  laws  and  regulations.  Every  beggar  has  a 
right,  according  to  universal  custom,  to  stand  at  the 
door  of  a  dwelling  or  shop,  and  bawl,  sing,  knock, 
or  make  any  other  noise  he  may  please,  till  the  occu- 


CHINESE   BEGGARS   AND   CHINESE   COSTUMES.        103 

pant  gives  him  one  coin.  Then  he  is  obliged  to 
desist,  and  can  apply  at  the  same  place  no  more  on 
that  day.  No  two  are  allowed  to  importune  to- 
gether at  one  place.  Yet  they  are  so  numerous  that 
few  doors  are  free  from  their  clamorings  long  at  a 
time.  The  proprietors  of  large  establishments,  who 
prefer  to  "  commute,"  and  save  themselves  from  the 
annoyance  of  these  continual  visitations,  can  do  so  by 
paying  a  certain  sum  at  once,  to  the  "  king  of  the 
beggars  ;"  who  thereupon  causes  a  written  statement 
in  large  characters,  to  that  effect,  to  be  pasted  by  the 
side  of  the  door,  and  this  procures  for  that  house  cer- 
tain exemption.  No  beggar  dares  approach  it ;  for, 
though  very  few  of  them  can  read,  all  recognize  the 
seal  of  their  chief  upon  the  paper,  and  if  any  one 
transgress  he  may  either  be  beaten  by  the  inmates  of 
the  shop  or  dwelling,  or  will  be  more  severely  chas- 
tized if  reported  to  the  king.  Every  beggar  has  his 
own  particular  district,  or  "  beat,"  assigned  him,  in 
which  he  may  exercise  his  vocation,  beyond  which  he 
must  not  go,  on  pain  of  punishment.  They  have  their 
regularly  appointed  overseers,  who  have  supervision 
over  all  in  a  certain  ward  or  district.  They  must  go 
to  him  every  night  and  hand  over  a  definite  amount 
from  the  proceeds  of  each  day.  These  overseers,  in 
turn,  pay  a  fixed  sum  daily  or  monthly  to  the  king, 
whose  income  is  said  to  be  very  large  ;  and  indeed, 
it  must  be,  for  he  lives  like  a  nabob,  in  a  style  of  great 
comparative  luxury  and  elegance.  If  a  beggar  com- 
mit an  offence  against  the  laws  he  is  not  arrested  by 
the  constables  like  any  other  offender,  but  is  reported 
or  taken  to  the  "  king,"  who  is  held  by  the  city  mag. 
istrates,   responsible   for  his  punishment   and   good 


104  FIVE  YEARS   IN   CHINA. 

behavior.  But  this  process  is  too  slow,  troublesome, 
and  uncertain,  for  the  aggrieved  people  who  are  con- 
stantly suffering  from  the  depredations  of  these  thiev- 
ing vermin,  and  they  themselves  generally  adminis- 
ter an  impromptu  castigation  upon  the  poor  wretch 
when  caught.  This  often  consists  in  tying  his  hands 
behind  his  back  with  one  end  of  a  long  cord,  and 
throwing  the  other  over  a  limb  of  the  nearest  tree, 
drawing  him  up  in  his  painful  position,  till  his  toes 
barely  rest  on  the  ground.  They  then  beat  him  most 
unmercifully  with  sticks,  clubs,  fists,  or  anything  that 
first  comes  to  hand,  till  the  miserable  creature  is  half 
dead.  Their  vitality  and  power  of  endurance  are 
amazing.  I  once  saw  one  thus  beaten,  and  when  at 
last  released,  he  fell  down  as  if  about  to  die  ;  but  no 
sooner  had  the  crowd  moved  off  a  few  rods,  leaving 
him  as  they  thought,  perhaps,  for  dead,  than  the  fel- 
low leaped  to  his  feet  and  ran  like  a  deer.  It  was 
wonderful,  how  he  could  u  play  possum." 

Cutting  off  the  queue  is  another  form  of  punish- 
ment, and  one  sorely  deprecated  by  a  Chinaman.  It 
is  a  badge  of  disgrace  equal  to  branding  on  the  cheek, 
and  is  often  practised  on  these  beggars. 

Black  hair  and  black  eyes  are  as  universal  as  among 
the  North  American  Indians.  The  only  exceptions 
I  have  ever  seen  were  albinos. 

The  queue  is  the  most  noticeable  feature  in  a  China- 
man's appearance,  for  it  hangs  down  his  back,  some- 
times reaching  to  his  heels,  as  he  walks  along.  The 
heads  of  Chinese  children,  girls  as  well  as  boys,  are 
shaven  all  over  several  times  before  they  are  a  year 
old.  Then,  in  a  year  or  two  more,  two  small  round 
patches  of  hair  are  suffered  to  grow  just  above  the 


CHINESE   BEGGARS    AND    CHINESE    COSTUMES.        105 

ears,  near  the  top  of  the  head.  "When  the  hair  from 
these  becomes  long  enough,  it  is  braided  into  two 
little  tufts  that  project  like  horns  on  a  cow.  Then, 
after  this,  it  is  all  shaven  off  again,  and  on  the  head 
of  a  boy  the  round  spot  is  marked  out  on  which  it  is 
afterward  to  grow  until  it  becomes  long  enough  for 
a  queue.  A  quantity  of  black  silken  cord  is  braided 
in  with  the  hair,  both  to  facilitate  the  plaiting  and 
increase  its  length. 

On  the  heads  of  girls,  the  hair  is  still  shaven  around 
the  edges,  till  they  become  twelve  or  fourteen  years 
old,  and  daring  this  time  they  wear  a  black  silk 
fringe  around  the  head,  hanging  over  the  forehead 
and  temples,  and  down  the  back  of  the  neck.  The 
remainder  of  the  hair  they  put  up  in  a  graceful  knot 
a  little  to  one  side  of  the  head,  and  frequently  wear 
flowers  in  it,  giving  them  a  very  pretty  appearance. 
When  they  become  young  women,  the  silken  fringe 
is  laid  aside,  the  whole  of  the  hair  is  permitted  to 
grow,  is  combed  back  from  the  face,  and  put  up  on 
the  back  of  the  head,  being  kept  in  place  by  several 
long,  ornamental  pins  of  brass,  silver,  or  gold,  accord- 
ing to  the  ability  of  the  wearer.  They  also  wear  a 
thick  band  around  the  head,  about  two  inches  wide, 
pointed  in  the  middle  upon  the  forehead,  and  gradu- 
ally becoming  narrower,  till  it  ends  in  two  strings  at 
the  back,  where  it  is  tied  under  the  hair.  This  band 
is  often  very  beautifully  wrought  with  silk  and  gilt 
lace,  and  generally  has  a  round  ornament,  somewhat 
resembling  a  breast-pin,  and  sometimes  very  costly, 
fastened  in  the  middle  at  the  widest  point.  The 
women  never  wear  any  other  covering  on  the  head, 
except   those  who  work  in  the  fields   during  hot 

5* 


106  FIVE   YEAES   IN   CHINA. 

weather.  These  frequently  have  a  kind  of  straw  hat, 
not  unlike  a  large  tin  pan  turned  bottom  side  up- 
ward, with  a  round  hole  in  the  middle,  for  the  braid 
of  hair  to  project  through.  This  also  serves  to  keep 
the  hat  on  the  head. 

The  nails  are  worn  long,  especially  those  of  the 
little  fingers,  and  are  often  seen  as  long  as  the  fingers 
themselves.  Ladies  sometimes  wear  a  golden  sheath 
over  the  nail  to  prevent  it  from  being  broken.  This 
sheath  fits  on  the  finger  like  a  thimble,  and  is  thus 
kept  in  place. 

The  men  and  boys  wear  very  large,  loose  draw- 
ers, which  are  held  up  by  a  kind  of  band,  pass- 
ing around  the  waist  and  tying  before.  The  China- 
man carries  his  purse  suspended  by  a  loop  from  this 
band  in  front.  The  second  garment  is  his  shirt,  on 
the  upper  part  of  the  body,  and  hangs  down  a  little 
over  the  top  of  his  drawers.  The  third  is  much  like 
the  second,  and  may  be  called  an  outer  shirt,  and  the 
fourth  is  not  very  different  from  the  other  two,  in 
size,  form,  and  the  material  of  which  it  is  made — all 
three  reaching  but  little  below  the  waist,  and  having 
sleeves  nearly  a  foot  longer  than  the  arm,  and  about 
as  much  in  width.  These  sleeves  are  often  used  as 
pockets ;  for  in  them  he  carries  his  handkerchief,  and 
frequently  a  small  package.  The  sleeve  is  also'  a 
receiver  of  stolen  goods :  for  I  once  knew  of  a  well- 
dressed  Chinaman  who  took  a  small  clock  from  my 
friend's  room,  concealed  it  in  his  sleeve,  and  as  it  was 
not  missed  at  the  moment,  nor  did  he  seem  to  have 
anything  in  his  hands  when  he  left,  he  escaped 
with  it.  Next  comes  a  long  gown,  reaching  nearly 
to  the  feet,  which  is  fastened  around  the  waist  by  a 


CHINESE   BEGGARS   AND   CHINESE   COSTUMES.        107 

long  silken  sash.  After  this,  another,  of  the  same 
length  and  pattern ;  then,  lastly,  the  coat  or  outer 
garment  of  all,  which  nearly  resembles  the  shirt  in 
its  shape,  reaching  about  half-way  down  the  body. 
All  these  articles  have  several  common  points  of 
resemblance.  In  the  first  place,  they  never  fit  the 
wearer,  being  always  very  large  and  awkward. 
Secondly,  they  all  open  in  front,  and  fasten  by  means 
of  small  round  buttons — not  all  in  a  straight  row 
up  and  down  ;  but  one  at  the  neck,  then  a  second  on 
the  breast,  a  little  toward  the  right  side,  and  the  third 
still  lower  and  further  outward,  the  fourth  on  the 
side,  under  the  arm,  and  then  one  more  directly 
downward  near  the  end  of  the  garment.  A  set  of 
buttons  invariably  consists  of  five.  About  the  neck 
they  wear  a  narrow,  closely-fitting  collar,  of  velvet 
or  satin,  sewed  upon  thick  pasteboard. 

The  materials  of  which  their  clothing  is  made  are 
as   various   as  the   ability   of  the  individuals — the 
poorest,  of  coarse,  cotton  cloth,  generally  blue — then, 
many  of  silks,  satins,  velvet,  broadcloth,  and  furs — 
all  being  wadded  with  cotton,  and  quilted  for  winter. 
In  summer  they  wear  but  two  or  three  thin,  light  gar- 
ments of  cotton,  linen,  or  silk.     A  Chinaman's  cloth 
ing  constitutes  his  thermometer.     For  instance,  he 
will  say,  "To-day  is  three  jackets  cold,  and  if  it  in- 
creases at  this  rate,  by  to-morrow  it  will  be  four  or 
five  jackets  cold."    Their  stockings  are  made  of  white 
cotton  cloth,  cut  so  as  to  fit  the  foot  as  well  as  pos- 
sible.    These  also  are  wadded  and  quilted  for  winter. 
The  Chinese  know  nothing  of  knitting,  and   they 
greatly  admire  our  stockings,  readily  admitting  their 
superiority  over  their  own.    Their  stockings  come  up 


108  FIVE   YEAKS   IN   CHINA. 

quite  to  the  knees,  over  the  drawers,  and  are  often 
fastened  with  handsomely  embroidered  garters. 
There  are  exceptions  to  the  statement  that  Chinese 
garments  never  fit.  They  frequently  wear  a  singular 
kind  of  pantaloons  that  fit  the  leg  as  tightly  as  pos- 
sible, and  tie  with  long  silken  strings  outside  the 
stockings %  on  the  ankles;  but  each  leg  is  entirely 
separate  from  its  fellow,  and  is  put  on  and  pulled  off 
by  itself.  These  are  often  made  of  various-colored, 
figured  silks  and  satins,  and  are  kept  in  place  by  a 
button  or  loop  at  the  top  of  each  leg,  one  on  the  right 
side,  and  the  other  on  the  left,  fastening  to  the  band 
around  the  waist. 

Their  shoes  are  made  of  cloth  and  velvet,  of  dif- 
ferent colors,  never  have  elevated  heels,  are  widest 
at  the  toes,  where  they  turn  up,  and  have  soles  from 
a  half  an  inch  to  two  inches  in  thickness.  They  are 
very  awkward  and  clumsy.  The  wealthy,  the  literati, 
and  the  mandarins,  often  wear  boots  of  black  satin. 
Leathern  boots  and  shoes  are  only  worn  in  wet  and 
rainy  weather,  and  they  always,  to  prevent  slipping, 
have  the  soles  driven  full  of  large-headed  nails,  which 
make  a  great  clattering  on  the  pavements.  Little 
children  often  wear  caps  and  shoes  embroidered  with 
silk  of  various  colors  :  and,  indeed,  their  whole  dress 
is  very  richly  embroidered  when  the  parents  can 
afford  it.  They  also  wear  charms  and  amulets  to 
ward  off  disease,  and  to  keep  away  evil  spirits. 

Chinese  hats  and  caps  are  of  three  or  four  dif- 
ferent forms.  One  kind  fits  closely  to  the  head, 
resembling,  in  shape,  the  scooped-out  rind  of  half  a 
watermelon.  Hence  they  themselves  call  it  the 
"  watermelon  cap."    It  is  made  of  different  materials 


CHINESE    BEGGARS   AND   CHINESE   COSTUMES.        109 

and  colors — has  a  wide  thick  band  around  the  edge, 
with  no  front-piece,  but  a  knob  of  silken  cord  on  the 
top,  by  which  it  is  handled.     If  you  have  ever  been 
into  a  hat  shop,  and  have  seen  a  hat  before  it  has 
been  shaped,  just  imagine  its  rim  turned  up  half  way 
to  the  top,  and  you  will  have  a  pretty  correct  idea  of 
the   appearance  •  of   the   second  and  most  common 
kind.     It  is  made  of  dark  brown  felt.     There  is  a 
third,  of  the  same  general  form  and  outline  as  the 
last,  only  it  is  made  of  velvet  and  satin,  having  stiff 
pasteboard  for  its  foundation,  which  keeps  it  always 
in  shape.     This  is  the  handsomest  and  most  expen- 
sive kind  worn.      It  has  a  heavy  tassel  of  red  silk 
fastened  on  the  top  by  a  brass  knob,  and  hanging 
around  on  the  crown.     Among  mandarins,  the  color 
and  materials  of   this   knob  denote  their  rank.     A 
gilt  one  is  worn  by  the  lowest,  a  white  stone  by  the 
next,  a  clear  crystal  by  the  third,  a  pale  blue  precious 
stone  by  the  fourth,  a  deep  blue  one  by  the  fifth,  a 
a  pale  red  by  the  sixth,  a  deep  red  by  the  seventh, 
and  this  is  the  highest.     The  last  four  mentioned 
grades  may  wear  a  peacock's  feather,  by  special  per- 
mission from  the  Emperor,  for  distinguished  merit. 

As  yellow  is  the  Imperial  color,  it  is  not  allowed  to 
be  conspicuous  in  the  garments  of  the  people.  But 
as  a  mark  of  respect  to  advanced  age,  men  who  have 
lived  ninety  years  may  receive  permission  by  a  spe- 
cial edict  from  the  "  Son  of  Heaven  " — one  of  the 
titles  which  the  Emperor  arrogates  to  himself — to 
wear  yellow  clothing ;  and  this  token  of  imperial 
consideration,  entitles  them  to  particular  reverence 
from  the  people.  If  they  are  so  poor  as  to  be  com- 
pelled to  beg  for  a  sustenance,  as  is  not  unfrequently 


110  FIYE  YEARS   IN   CHINA. 

the  case,  their  yellow  rags  are  a  passport  to  public 
charity.  Some  of  the  garments  worn  by  the  females 
much  resembles  those  of  the  other  sex.  Instead, 
however,  of  the  long  gown,  the  woman  wears  a  very 
narrow  skirt,  plaited  vertically,  and  open  on  both 
sides  up  to  the  waist.  It  is  like  two  aprons,  one 
behind  and  the  other  before.  But  the  strangest  pecu- 
liarity of  Chinese  females,  consists  in  the  unnatural 
and  cruel  compression  of  the  feet.  The  practice  is 
universal — among  the  poor  as  well  as  the  rich,  with 
this  difference  ;  that  the  rich  first  bind  the  feet  of  the 
female  infant  during  the  earlier  months  of  its  life, 
while  the  poor — knowing  it  will  be  necessary  for 
their  child  to  wait  upon  herself  and  work  for  a  living, 
allow  her  first  to  learn  to  walk,  and  then,  at  the  age 
of  five  or  six  years,  bind  the  feet.  Of  course,  under 
such  circumstances,  they  never  become  so  small  as 
those  bound  at  an  earlier  period.  The  method  is,  to 
turn  all  the  toes,  except  the  great  one,  under  the  foot, 
and  then  apply  tightly  a  bandage  of  strong  cotton 
cloth,  about  two  yards  long  and  two  inches  wide. 
This  is  never  removed  except  to  tighten  it,  or  apply 
a  new  one.  This  whole  process  is  exceedingly  pain- 
ful and  produces  inflammation  and  suppuration, 
resulting  in  settled  disease  and  deformity.  It  is 
exceedingly  doubtful  whether  they  are  ever  free  from 
pain,  and  the  marvel  is  how  they  can  ever  walk  at 
all.  The  gait  is  an  awkward  hobbling,  precisely  like 
your  own  while  walking  on  your  heels. 

One  day,  as  Mrs.  T.  and  myself  were  passing  a 
Chinese  dwelling  of  the  poorer  class,  we  heard  most 
piteous  and  imploring  screams.  On  looking  in  at  the 
open  door,  we  saw  a  mother  binding  the  feet  of  her 


CHINESE  BEGGARS   AND   CHINESE   COSTUMES.        Ill 

little  girl,  who  was  seated  on  a  high  bench.  We  have 
seldom  seen  such  a  look  of  anguish  as  marred  that  fair, 
young  face  ;  and  such  an  expression  of  cruel  indif- 
ference to  the  torture  of  her  child  as  rested  on  the 
countenance  of  the  mother.  "We  remonstrated  and 
entreated  ;  but  in  vain.  The  reply  was,  u  it  is  the 
custom  of  the  people  in  the  Middle  country ;"  and 
custom  was  law — it  was  inexorable.  Is  not  u  fashion  " 
equally  omnipotent  in  the  lands  of  boasted  civiliza- 
tion and  Christianity  ?  And  yet  to  this  practice 
there  are  exceptions.  The  females  who  spend  their 
lives  on  boats  seldom  bind  their  feet ;  for  as  there  is 
generally  more  or  less  motion  to  the  boats,  it  would 
be  almost  impossible  to  stand.  None  of  the  Tartar 
females  have  their  feet  compressed,  as  I  afterward 
discovered  at  Nanking,  while  on  a  visit  to  that 
ancient  capital,  hereafter  to  be  described,  nor  do  those 
who  are  received  into  Buddhist  nunneries  in  child- 
hood. The  little  girls  who  come  to  the  mission  board- 
ing-schools are  received  on  the  express  condition  that 
their  feet  are  to  be  allowed  their  natural  growth. 

The  origin  of  this  custom  is  quite  obscure.  My 
Chinese  teacher  could  not  enlighten  me  on  that  point. 
When  I  suggested  to  him  the  possibility  that  it  was 
introduced  by  the  men,  who,  perhaps,  had  been 
greatly  annoyed  by  the  gadding  propensities  of  their 
wives,  the  old  man  laughed,  and  thought  very  likely 
that  was  the  true  history.  There  is  a  tradition  of  the 
manner  in  which  it  originated,  that  has  some  shadow 
of  probability.  It  is  related,  that  many  hundreds  of 
years  ago,  an  imperial  princess  was  deformed  in  her 
feet  from  her  birth ;  and  that,  when  she  became  old 
enough  to  walk,  the  officers  at  her  father's  court  had 


112  FIVE   YEARS   IN   CHINA. 

the  feet  of  their  own  daughters,  who  were  her  play- 
mates, compressed  till  they  resembled  hers,  so  as  to 
save  her  from  mortification,  and  to  give  them  no 
advantage  over  her.  This  circumstance  becoming 
known,  the  fashion  was  adopted  at  once  throughout 
the  empire.  If  this  was  true,  it  certainly,  to  say  the 
least,  placed  her  on  an  equal  footing  with  other  little 
girls  of  her  age. 

One  of  the  first  things  in  the  appearance  of  a  for- 
eign lady  in  China,  that  attracts  attention  and  elicits 
remark  from  the  native  females,  is  the  size  of  her  feet. 
They  speak  of  it,  however,  to  approve  the  usage  as 
far  more  natural,  pleasant,  convenient/and  preferable 
in  every  respect,  and  express  the  wish  that  such  were 
the  case  among  themselves ;  but  confess  that  they,  as 
well  as  their  feet,  are  bound  by  the  tyrant  custom. 


CHAPTER    IX. 


CHINESE   NEW   YEAR. 


Worship  in  Temples— Costume — Gloves — Furs — Amusing  Appear- 
ance of  Children — "  City  Guardian's  Temple  " — Being  taken  for  an 
Idol — Temple  of  Confucius — Burning  Articles  for  the  use  of  the 
Dead — Manner  of  Mourning — Immense  number  of  Graves — Gene- 
ral Appearance  of  surrounding  Country — Tenanted  Coffins  kept 
in  Dwellings — Coffins  left  unburied  in  the  Fields — A  Settlement  of 
Beggars — Their  Condition — Tricks  to  excite  Compassion — The 
Blind — A  Native  little  Girl — Religious  Instruction — Discourage- 
ments— Encouragements. 

In  my  journal  I  find  the  following  record  : 

Jan.  25,  1849. — Yesterday  was  the  Chinese  New 
Year's  Day,  and  I  went  at  an  early  hour,  to  one  of 
the  principal  temples,  to  witness  the  offerings  made 
to  the  idols.  Although  it  was  before  sunrise,  great 
numbers  had  already  paid  their  annual  devotions, 
and  the  ashes  in  the  vessels  before  the  idols,  plainly 
indicated  that  bunches  of  incense-sticks  had  been 
burning  through  the  whole  night.  Thirty  or  forty 
red  wax  candles  were  burning  at  the  same  time,  in 
honor  of  these  imaginary  deities.  Not  long  after  I 
reached  the  spot  the  people  began  to  come  in  crowds, 
comprising  persons  of  both  sexes,  of  every  age,  rank, 
an  odition,  from  the  mandarins  down  to  the  poor- 
est of  the  working  class ;  but  I  saw  no  beggars. 
Each  individual  was  attired  in  his  best,  and  the  dress 


114  FIVE  YEAES  IN   CHINA. 

of  many  of  the  ladies  was  really  splendid.  Although 
very  costly,  there  was  too  great  a  profusion  of  orna- 
ment to  comport  with  our  ideas  of  good  taste.  The 
head  was  covered  with  trinkets  of  gold  and  silver, 
and  flowers,  real  and  artificial.  The  hair  is  always 
smoothly  combed  and  neatly  put  up.  Their  dresses 
were  of  the  most  superb  silks  and  satins,  very  beau- 
tifully embroidered  with  bright  colors,  and  with  gold 
and  silver  lace.  The  feet  were  so  small  that  they 
could  not  walk,  nor  even  stand,  without  great 
difficulty,  and  they  hobbled  along,  leaning  on  the 
shoulders  of  waiting  maids.  The  men  wear  long 
coats  reaching  nearly  to  the  feet,  made  of  rich  dark 
satins  and  silks,  plain  and  figured — or  of  broadcloth  ; 
and  short  ones  of  similar  materials  over  these,  reach- 
ing to  the  hips.  They  are  provided  with  very  large 
sleeves,  much  longer  than  their  arms,  in  order  to  pro- 
tect the  hands  from  cold,  as  they  have  nothing  in  the 
shape  of  gloves.  There  is  no  part  of  my  dress  which 
attracts  so  much  notice  from  the  Chinese,  as  my 
gloves.  Wherever  I  go,  they  at  once  point  good- 
naturedly  to  my  hands,  and  generally  pull  off  my 
gloves  and  put  them  on  their  own  hands,  with  ex- 
pressions of  mingled  delight  and  surprise,  evidently 
much  pleased  to  find  how  admirably  the  article  an- 
swers the  end  for  which  it  is  designed. 

As  the  winters  are  excessively  cold,  vast  quantities 
of  furs  are  worn,  many  of  them  remarkably  elegant 
and  very  expensive.  Great  quantities  are  annually 
brought  from  Tartary  and  Siberia  by  traders,  who 
come  in  large  caravans,  to  be  more  secure  against 
attacks  from  the  roving  tribes  infesting  the  regions 
through  which  they  pass.     The  poorer  of  the  people 


CHINESE  NEW  YEAE.  115 

wear  sheepskins,  which  are  very  well  prepared,  and 
when  new,  are  as  white  as  snow.  These,  as  well  as 
the  finer  furs,  are  made  to  resemble  a  large  cape,  com- 
pletely covering  the  shoulders,  back;  and  arms. 
Many  of  the  men  have  long  fur  robes,  or  overcoats,  as 
we  should  call  them,  covering  the  whole  body.  Then 
they  have  small  coverings  for  the  ears,  like  pockets, 
lined  with  fur   or  with   silk,  wadded  with  cotton. 

Frequently,  too,  you  may  see  them  with  the  head 
and  hat  entirely  covered  with  a  kind  of  large  cape- 
like hood,  of  red  and  blue  cloth,  which  comes  down 
under  the  chin,  having  only  a  small  round  opening 
for  the  face,  and  effectually  protecting  the  whole 
head  and  neck  from  the  cold,  as  well  as  the  shoulders 
in  part,  for  it  extends  down  in  a  point  to  the  middle 
of  the  back. 

It  would  be  difficult  to  tell  how  many  separate  ar- 
ticles of  clothing  the  Chinese  wear  at  once  in  the 
winter  season ;  but  certain  it  is,  that  on  the  approach 
of  cold  weather  they  begin  to  put  on,  adding  one 
garment  after  another,  until  they  swell  nearly  to 
the  size  of  a  large  barrel,  for  they  do  not  diminish 
any  from  the  number  till  the  return  of  warm  wea- 
ther, and  as  many  of  them  do  not  undress  even  to  go 
to  bed,  they  do  not,  as  far  as  I  can  learn,  take  off 
their  clothes  until  they  are  worn  out,  or  until  com- 
pelled by  the  heat  of  summer.  The  streets  being 
very  narrow,  and  generally  crowded,  if  you  go  out 
on  a  very  cold  day,  you  cannot  avoid  jostling  against 
men,  women,  and  children,  like  so  many  animated 
bales  of  cotton.  The  arms  are  forced  out  nearly  into 
a  horizontal  position  by  the  immense  mass  of  cotton 
and  furs  around  the  body,   being  themselves  enve- 


116  FIVE   YEAE8   IN  CHINA. 

loped  in  a  due  proportion  of  the  same  materials.  I 
have  seen  children  clad  in  this  manner,  so  that  I  can 
say,  I  think  without  exaggeration,  that  the  diameter 
through  the  body  was  equal  to  its  perpendicular 
height.  If  once  a  little  fellow  falls  down,  or  rather 
rolls  over,  he  is  utterly  unable  to  get  up  without  as- 
sistance.    But  this  is  quite  a  digression. 

On  the  day  of  which  I  speak,  the  great  number 
who  came  to  pay  their  New  Year  offerings  to  their 
idols,  either  brought  with  them,  or  purchased  at  the 
entrance,  one  or  more  red  wax  candles,  a  bunch  of  in- 
cense-sticks, and  a  quantity  of  gilt  or  silvered  paper, 
all  of  which  they  presented  to  one  of  the  attendant 
Buddhist  priests,  whose  duty  it  was  to  receive  and 
burn  them  before  the  idol,  while  the  devotee  kneeled 
on  a  low  bench,  clasped  his  hands,  and  bowed  pro- 
foundly to  his  god  a  number  of  times.  All  distinctions 
of  rank  seemed  to  be  lost  sight  of  during  these  cere- 
monies, for  by  the  side  of  the  most  wealthy  knelt  the 
poorest,  paying  their  devotions  at  the  same  moment. 

The  temple  is  called  the  "  Ching  hwang  miau" — 
"  City  guardian's  temple."  It  is  one  of  the  principal 
in  the  city,  and  is  certainly  the  most  frequented.  It 
is  a  very  dark  and  gloomy  building  inside,  its  walls 
and  roof  blackened  by  the  smoke  from  the  burning 
incense,  gilt  or  silvered  paper,  and  the  immense 
number  of  red  wax  candles  that  are  continually  burn- 
ing before  the  idols.  The  principal  one  is  a  large, 
ugly  figure,  richly  gilt,  in  a  sitting  posture,  surround- 
ed by  many  others  as  attendants.  I  was  freely  ad- 
mitted to  every  part  of  the  building,  and  while  stand- 
ing in  a  dark  recess,  a  well-dressed  female,  just  en- 
tering the  temple  from  the  back  way,  observed  me 


CHINESE  NEW   YEAR.  117 

by  the  dim  light,  and  as  I  stood  perfectly  still,  she 
took  me  for  one  of  the  deities,  and  bowing  several 
times  most  reverently,  she  passed  on  to  her  devotions, 
probably  congratulating  herself  that  she  had  propiti- 
ated at  least  one  of  the  grim-looking  monsters  that 
inhabited  the  place.  Yon  may  be  assured  that  I  did 
not  feel  very  highly  complimented  at  being  classed 
in  such  company. 

I  left  the  place  with  a  burdened  heart,  praying 
that  a  brighter  day  might  soon  dawn  on  this  dark 
land  of  paganism. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day,  we  went  to  the 
temple  of  Confucius.  It  consists  of  several  spacious 
buildings  in  a  large  inclosure,  and  the  whole  has  an 
air  of  cleanliness,  arising,  probably,  from  the  fact 
that  it  is  much  less  frequented  than  the  other  tem- 
ples in  the  city.  -There  is  no  image  of  the  sage,  but 
simply  a  wooden  tablet,  on  which  his  name  is  in- 
scribed, in  large  gilt  characters.  This  is  set  up  in  a 
kind  of  recess,  behind  curtains  of  rich  yellow  silk, 
and  before  it  is  an  altar  on  which  incense  is  burnt  to 
his  spirit.  This  shrine  is  called  "  his  spiritual  seat," 
and  he  is  regarded  by  his  worshippers  as  taking 
cognizance  of  their  devotions.  As  you  approach  this 
main  building,  which,  though  but  one  story,  is  about 
fifty  feet  high — there  are,  on  either  side  of  the  large 
court,  two  others,  much  lower,  about  a  hundred  feet 
in  length,  and  about  the  same  distance  apart,  contain- 
ing the  tablets  of  two  or  three  hundred  other  sages, 
of  less  renown.  However  high  the  veneration  in 
which  the  Chinese  hold  Confucius  and  his  associates, 
represented  by  their  tablets,  you  would  infer  that 
their  worship  is  not  very  popular,  from  the  exhibition 


118  FIVE  TEAKS  DC   CHINA. 

of  that  day,  for  while  all  the  temples  we  saw  contain- 
ing idols  were  thronged,  we  found  not  a  solitary  indi- 
vidual who  had  come  to  pay  homage  to  the  only  one 
of  all  their  deities  deserving  the  least  regard.  Offer- 
ings of  slain  animals  are  presented  to  his  spirit  at 
this  temple  twice  a  year,  but  they  have  not  taken 
place  since  our  arrival. 

The  practice  among  the  Chinese  of  burning  articles 
for  the  use  of  the  dead  is  well  known.  They  suppose 
their  deceased  relatives  to  have  a  kind  of  spiritual  ex- 
istence, in  such  a  condition,  however,  as  to  require  the 
use  of  houses,  servants,  clothing,  house-keeping  uten- 
sils, money,  etc.,  just  as  they  did  while  living.  They, 
therefore,  provide  houses  of  straw  or  bamboo,  vary- 
ing in  size,  costliness,  and  completeness  of  furniture, 
according  to  the  wealth  and  station  of  the  parties — 
from  the  dimensions  of  a  bushel  basket  to  those  of 
an  actual  dwelling — and,  by  burning  these,  they  be- 
lieve they  send  them  to  their  departed  friends.  There 
are  thousands  of  persons  in  this  city  alone,  who  get 
their  livelihood  by  the  manufacture  of  articles  for  the 
use  of  the  dead,  principally  of  a  substitute  for  money, 
made  of  thin  paper,  having  a  slight  coating  of  tin  foil. 
It  is  cut  in  pieces  of  such  form  as  to  resemble  a  boat, 
when  pasted  together,  and  great  numbers  of  these 
small  paper  boats  are  strung  together  on  a  thread, 
and  thus  committed  to  the  flames,  with  the  firm  be- 
lief that  the  persons  for  whom  they  are  designed  act- 
ually receive  so  many  pieces  of  sycee  silver,  which  is 
of  the  same  form,  and  constitutes  the  chief  silver  cur- 
rency of  China.  These  masses  of  silver,  called  by 
foreigners  sycee — a  corruption  of  the  Chinese  name, 
" si-sz"  meaning  " fine  floss,"  to  denote  its  purity — 


CHINESE  NEW   YEAR.  119 

vary  in  value  according  to  the  weight — from  twenty 
to  fifty  dollars.  Real  articles  of  clothing  are  burnt 
with  the  same  intent,  and  the  same  confident  expecta- 
tions. 

From  the  window  of  my  dwelling,  but  a  few  days 
since,  I  saw  the  actual  dress  necessary  for  a  man? 
spread  out  upon  some  straw  and  set  fire  to,  while  two 
women  were  standing  by,  uttering  most  doleful  lament- 
ations, which  I  was  charitable  enough  to  regard  as 
real,  until  one  of  them  stopped  short  in  the  midst  of 
her  cries,  and,  with  the  utmost  coolness  imaginable, 
requested  a  man  who  was  present,  as  well  as  I 
could  understand,  to  set  fire  to  the  straw  on  the  other 
side,  as  the  wind  was  blowing  from  a  direction  unfa- 
vorable to  the  rapid  extension  of  the  flames — prob- 
ably fearing  lest  she  and  her  companion  might  be 
kept  mourning  rather  longer  than  was  agreeable  on 
a  cold  day.  When  this  was  done,  she  proceeded 
with  her  wailing,  as  loudly  and  bitterly  as  before. 
A  little  boy  was  also  there,  perhaps  the  son  of  the 
deceased,  who,  with  his  hands  placed  together,  fre- 
quently bowed  toward  the  burning  pile.  The  wo- 
men had  bands  of  white — the  mourning  color  of  the 
Chinese — across  their  foreheads,  and  tied  behind  the 
head,  the  long  ends  hanging  down  the  back.  For  a 
near  relative,  recently  dead,  they  wear  the  whole  out- 
er dress  of  white,  even  to  the  shoes  and  the  silk  cord 
intertwined  with  the  hair. 

The  moral  condition  of  this  vast  country  corres- 
ponds, in  one  particular,  to  its  physical  aspect.  China 
is  not  only  an  immense  valley  of  dry  bones,  in  a  spi- 
ritual sense,  but  it  is  actually  one  wide  graveyard. 
The  extensive  plain  around  Shanghai,  as  far  as  the 


120  FIVE  TEARS   IN   CHINA. 

eye  can  reach,  in  every  direction,  contains  multitudes 
of  mounds  covering  the  dead.  These  constitute  by 
far  the  most  prominent""  feature  in  a  scene,  which,  but 
for  this,  would  be  one  of  the  most  beautiful  on  which 
the  eye  ever  feasted.  For  fertility  it  is  unsurpassed 
in  the  world.  Then,  it  is  in  a  state  of  the  most  per- 
fect cultivation — its  fields  neatly  laid  out,  teeming 
with  their  crops  of  rice,  cotton,  wheat,  and  vegeta- 
bles. Presenting  many  a  copse  of  trees,  and  of 
luxuriantly-waving  bamboos  and  evergreens,  it  is 
dotted  with  hamlets  and  cottages,  and  intersected  ev- 
erywhere by  beautifully  winding  canals,  rivers,  and 
streams,  throughout  the  whole  landscape.  But  what 
sadly  mars  the  prospect  is  the  occurrence  of  a  grave 
or  a  comparatively  naked  coffin,  every  few  steps,  for 
miles  around.  In  this  part  of  China,  they  do  not 
very  often  apparently  dig  a  grave,  but  simply  place  the 
coffin  upon  the  ground,  and  either  inclose  it  with 
brick  masonry,  having  a  diminutive  roof,  like  a  house, 
or  cover  it  with  earth,  or  bind  straw  over  it,  or  else 
leave  it  standing  entirely  exposed.  The  coffins  are 
made  of  pine  wood,  from  four  to  six  inches  in 
thickness,  and  are  rendered  remarkably  tight  by 
means  of  a  kind  of  cement,  so  that  any  offensive 
smell  is  seldom  perceived  from  the  decaying  body. 
Indeed,  in  numberless  instances,  the  coffin,  with  its 
tenant,  is  kept  for  years  in  the  same  house,  and  often 
in  the  same  room  with  the  family,  as  is  the  case  with 
our  next  door  neighbor  on  the  left;  or  if  the  dwelling 
be  too  small  to  accommodate  both  the  living  and  the 
dead,  the  coffin  is  frequently  placed  just  outside  the 
door,  as  our  nearest  neighbor  on  the  right  has  done 
with  the  one  containing  the  body  of  his  wife,  who  died 


CHINESE   NEW   YEAR.  121 

ten  years  ago.  This  latter  is  within  three  feet  of  the 
back  door  of  our  residence ;  and  separated  from  us 
by  a  ditch  or  canal,  ten  or  twelve  feet  wide,  are  the 
graves  of  hundreds,  and  I  think  I  may  safely  say,  of 
thousands,  besides  many  coffins  with  no  covering  at 
all.  Almost  daily  in  our  walks,  we  see  coffins  fallen 
into  ruin  from  age,  and  the  skeletons  quite  exposed. 
"We  frequently  observed  some  of  these  receptacles  of 
the  dead,  in  the  midst  of  a  garden  or  tilled  field,  ele- 
vated two  or  three  feet  above  the  surface  of  the  earth, 
upon  four  sticks,  and  whatever  was  planted  in  the 
spot,  also  growing  under  the  coffin.  On  inquiring 
the  reason  of  this,  I  was  told  the  surviving  friends 
were  too  poor  to  purchase  a  spot  on  which  to  place 
it,  and  were  obliged  to  put  it  in  that  position,  that  it*1 
might  take  up  no  room  on  the  ground.  From  this 
extreme  parsimony  of  land  devoted  to  the  dead  on 
the  one  hand,  as  in  the  case  of  the  poorest,  you  will 
often  find  nearly  an  acre  appropriated  to  the  tomb  of 
some  distinguished  mandarin,  on  the  other,  when  it 
will  be  inclosed  with  a  hedge  or  wall,  and  planted 
with  evergreens. 

A  few  afternoons  since,  we  made  a  visit  to  a  spot 
occupied  by  that  loathsome,  wretched  class  of  peo- 
ple, the  beggars,  as  their  stopping  place — it  cannot 
be  called  residence.  The  settlement  consists  of  about 
twenty  lairs  or  dens,  for  they  could  not  even  be  called 
huts,  but  merely  a  few  pieces  of  worn-out  mats, 
reaching  from  the  ground  on  the  sides,  over  a  bam- 
boo pole,  raised  about  four  feet  from  the  earth,  and 
thus  forming  a  miserable  covering,  in  shape  some- 
what like  the  roof  of  a  house.  The  ends  toward  the 
north  were  closed,  but  those  toward  the  south  were  left 
6 


122  FIVE   YEARS   IN   CHINA. 

open  as  the  entrance.  They  were  directly  among  the 
tombs,  for  they  could  not  well  be  elsewhere,  and  be 
out  of  doors  near  Shanghai — the  hollow  space 
between  two  graves,  with  the  addition  of  a  little 
straw,  furnishing  the  bed  for  the  inmates.  The  only 
articles  of  furniture  were  a  dish,  in  which  to  cook 
their  rice,  a  bowl  or  two  to  eat  it  from,  and  a  tea  ket- 
tle. A  rudely  constructed  furnace,  just  at  the  en- 
trance, very  poorly  contrived  for  imparting  heat,  was 
probably  intended  to  be  used  only  for  cooking.  There 
was  not  the  most  distant  approach  to  anything  in  the 
shape  of  a  chair,  table,  bedstead,  or  box,  and  with 
all  these  articles  the  dwellings  of  the  very  poorest  of 
the  working  classes  are  supplied.  Each  den  was 
about  twelve  feet  long,  by  four  wide,  and  four  high 
in  the  middle,  sloping  off  to  the  ground  on  each  side. 
The  fragments  of  mats  which  formed  the  only  cover- 
ing, were  precisely  of  the  same  kind  as  those  used 
upon  our  floors  in  America.  The  inmates  them- 
selves it  is  difficult  to  describe,  meagrely  clad  in 
rags,  and  filthy  in  the  extreme — of  both  sexes,  and 
in  every  stage  of  life,  from  helpless  infancy  to  hoary 
age.  It  was  a  little  remarkable  that  they  did  not 
importune  us  for  money,  as  they  do  when  we  meet 
them  in  the  streets.  On  the  contrary,  they  seemed 
desirous  to  show  us  some  civility,  by  offering  us 
pipes  and  tobacco,  and  begged  us  to  smoke.  Many 
arts  are  practised  to  excite  the  pity  of  passers-by  in 
the  streets,  and  at  places  of  public  resort.  One 
woman,  not  knowing  that  I  discovered  it,  was  pinch- 
ing her  infant  child,  and  thus  forcing  it  to  scream  as 
we  passed  along,  thinking  thereby  to  obtain  alms  from 
us.      Another  was  sitting  by  her  child  as  he   lay 


i 


CHINESE   NEW   YEAit.  123 

stretched  out  on  the  side  of  the  street,  apparently  very 
ill  with  the  small  pox.  I  did  not  stop  to  examine  it 
at  that  time,  but  supposed  it  was  really  the  case,  until 
I  was  informed  by  another  missionary  that  he  had  seen 
the  same  child  in  apparently  the  same  stage  of  the 
disease  for  the  last  two  years.  She  puts  drops  of 
flour  paste  on  its  face  to  resemble  the  pustules  of 
small  pox.  In  Canton  it  is  a  very  common  practice  to 
put  out  the  eyes  of  the  children,  in  order  to  insure 
greater  success  in  begging.  I  recollect,  while  in  that 
city,  meeting  a  man,  woman,  and  several  children, 
apparently  all  of  one  family,  and  all  blind. 

There  now  lives  in  the  next  house  to  the  one  we 
occupy,  a  little  boy  who  has  been  blind  from  his 
infancy,  in  consequence  of  a  severe  attack  of  small- 
pox. His  mother  is  dead,  and  her  body  is  the  one 
contained  in  the  coffin  above  described  as  being  but 
one  step  from  our  door.  He  is  a  very  sprightly, 
active,  and  affectionate  little  fellow,  but  has  a  gloomy 
prospect  before  him  for  life,  as  his  friends  are  all  very 
poor.  It  makes  one  feel  sad  to  meet  a  blind  person 
in  a  Christian  land,  whose  mind  and  heart  may  yet 
discern  the  truths,  and  feel  the  power  of  the  blessed 
Gospel,  and  who  can,  with  an  eye  of  faith,  look  for- 
ward with  sweet  anticipation  to  a  bright  world,  where 
the  glorified  body  shall  enjoy  perfect  vision.  But  it 
is  sadder  still  to  see  one  twice  blind — the  inner  man 
sealed  up  in  moral,  as  the  outer  is  in  physical,  dark- 
ness. 

We  have  in  our  family,  a  little  Chinese  girl,  ten 
years  of  age,  who  has  been  for  a  year  and  a  half  in 
the  family  of  another  missionary,  but  as  their  situa- 
tion rendered  it  impracticable  for  them  to  keep  her 


124  FIVE   YEARS    IN    CHINA. 

any  longer,  we  have  taken  her  at  their  request,  rather 
than  allow  her  to  go  back  to  heathenism,  after  having 
been  instructed  in  many  truths  of  the  Christian  reli- 
gion. She  can  read  quite  well  in  the  Bible,  has  com- 
mitted to  memory  several  hymns,  the  ten  command- 
ments, the  Apostles'  creed,  and  repeats  the  Lord's 
Prayer  every  morning  with  us  at  family  worship — all 
in  the  English  language.  She  prepares  a  spelling  les- 
son, one  also  in  reading,  writes  a  composition,  and 
commits  to  memory  a  verse  of  Scripture  every  day. 
All  these  exercises  are  performed  under  the  superin- 
tendence of  Mrs.  Taylor,  who  is  also  teaching  her  to 
sew  and  knit.  She  then,  in  turn,  is  imparting  instruc- 
tion to  the  nurse  of  our  little  boy,  who  is  quite  a  sen- 
sible Chinese  woman,  and  already  manifests  a  strong 
desire  to  be  taught  the  "  Yah-soo  tawle" — the 
"  doctrines  of  Jesus."  She  now  sits  near  me,  eagerly 
studying  the  ten  commandments  in  Chinese,  as  they 
have  been  read  and  explained  to  her  by  Annie — for 
this  is  the  name  of  the  little  girl. 

Feb.  M. — I  have  just  completed  to-day,  with  the  as- 
sistance of  my  teacher  in  giving  me  the  idiom,  a  his- 
tory of  the  creation  and  the  fall  of  man  in  the  local 
dialect.  It  was  entirely  new  to  him  and  seemed  to 
fill  him  with  interest  and  surprise  at  every  step.  He 
has  a  family  of  grown-up  children,  and  he  said,  as  he 
was  leaving  me  this  evening,  he  would  go  home  and 
tell  them  this  strange  narrative.  I  think  he  is  fully 
persuaded  of  the  folly  of  idolatry  and  the  truth  of 
the  Christian  religion,  and  my  prayer  to  God  is  that 
his  heart  may  be  brought  to  experience  the  saving 
power  of  the  Gospel.  This  is  the  point  so  difficult  to 
attain,  here  as  well  as  in  Christian  lands.     We  can 


CHINESE  NEW   YEAR.  125 

with  comparative  ease  induce  many  to  acknowledge 
the  absurdity  of  their  own  superstitions  and  admit 
the  truth  of  the  Christian  system,  but  it  is  quite  ano- 
ther thing  so  to  impress  the  doctrines  of  the  Bible 
upon  their  consciences,  that  with  the  heart  they  will 
believe  unto  righteousness.  Here  lies  the  great  trial 
of  the  missionary  whose  soul  is  in  his  work — it  is  not 
that  he  has  left  his  home,  his  native  land,  his  beloved 
kindred  and  friends,  to  see  them  perhaps  no  more  on 
earth — no,  this  is  light  when  compared  with  the 
grief  that  weighs  down  his  spirit  to  see  so  little  gen- 
uine, hearty,  eager,  joyful  appreciation  of  "the truth 
as  it  is  in  Jesus  " — so  little  real  fruit  of  his  labor 
after  years  of  toil.  But  so  it  must  be,  "  one  soweth 
and  another  reapeth,"  now  is  the  seed-time  and  the 
harvest  will  come  by  and  by — yes,  blessed  be  His 
holy  name,  the  harvest  will  come — the  promise  of  our 
God  stands  engaged  that  "  they  who  sow  in  tears 
shall  reap  in  joy,"  and,  "he  that  goeth  forth  and 
weepeth,  bearing  precious  seed,  shall,  doubtless,  come 
again  with  rejoicing,  bringing  his  sheaves  with  him." 
What  matters,  it,  then,  whether  or  not  I  live  to  see 
the  result  of  my  toil  ?  the  millions  of  China  are  to  be 
converted  to  God — there  is  not  a  shadow  of  doubt  on 
that  point,  and  if  faithful  to  the  trust  committed  to 
me,  1  shall  share  in  the  final  triumph. 


CHAPTER  X. 

WHAT  AND  HOW  THEY  EAT MARRIAGE. 

Vegetable  Productions — Animal  Food — Cattle — Poultry — "  Shanghai 
Fowls  " — Artificial  Egg-hatching — Raising  Ducks— Fishing — Eating 
Rats,  Puppies,  etc, — "Bird-nest  Soup" — Shark  Fins— Fruits — Pecu- 
liarities of  Oranges  and  Persimmons — Other  Fruits — "Japan 
Plum  " — Nuts — Sugar — Modeso  f  Cooking — Use  of  Oils — "  Hen-Egg 
Cakes  " — Abhorrence  of  Butter  and  Cheese — Native  Names  for 
these  Articles— Milk — Mode  of  Eating — "  Chopsticks  " — Ideas 
of  Politeness — A  Chinese  Feast — Great  Number  of  Courses — An 
Intoxicating  Drink — Manufacture  of  Salt,  a  Government  Monopoly 
— Smuggling — Mode  of  Contracting  Marriages — A  "  Go-between  " 
— Betrothal — Marriage  Ceremonies — Amusements. 

As  China  stretches  over  many  degrees  of  lati- 
tude and  extends  into  the  temperate  and  torrid 
zones,  its  productions  are  as  numerous  and  varied  as 
those  of  any  country  on  the  globe.  Among  its  arti- 
cles of  vegetable  diet,  rice,  as  already  stated,  stands 
preeminent.  "Wheat,  buckwheat,  rye,  barley,  oats 
and  corn,  beans  and  peas  of  many  varieties,  sweet- 
potatoes  and  yams,  pumpkins,  squashes,  cucumbers, 
egg-plants ;  watermelons  and  muskmelons ;  leeks, 
onions,  and  garlic,  of  which  they  are  extravagantly 
fond  ;  cabbage,  cauliflowers,  tomatoes,  turnips,  car- 
rots and  parsnips.  The  young  sprout  of  the  bamboo 
is  an  excellent  vegetable,  and  its  taste  much  resem- 
bles that  of  green  corn.      There  are  also   radishes, 


WHAT   AND    HOW   THEY   EAT.  127 

lettuce,  spinach,  parsley,  celery,  and  others.  I  have 
never  found  beets,  "Irish"  potatoes,  nor  okra,  indi- 
genous in  China,  but  they  have  been  introduced  by 
foreigners  for  their  own  use,  and  will  thus  become 
known  to  the  natives.     ' 

Of  animal  food,  pork  is  the  most  common  of  any 
used  by  the  Chinese,  and  they  cure  hams  and  bacon 
well.  They  also  have  very  fine  sheep  and  goats, 
and  consequently,  good  mutton.  Beef  is  seldom 
eaten,  partly,  and  perhaps  mainly,  on  account  of  a 
superstitious  veneration  for  the  ox,  as  so  useful  and 
indispensable  in  their  agriculture.  They  do  not,  how- 
ever, scruple  to  kill  it  and  sell  the  beef  to  foreigners. 
Money  is  a  wonderful  remover  of  prejudice.  Geese, 
ducks,  and  fowls,  both  of  the  tame  and  wild  varieties, 
are  abundant.  The  large  fowl,  known  among  us  as 
the  "  Shanghai  fowl,"  is  peculiar  to  that  part  of  the 
country.  It  is  also  my  opinion,  that  those  varieties 
called  Cochin-China,  Brahmapootra,  and  others,  are 
all  of  this  same  brepd.  With  reference  to  one  of 
them,  a  gentleman  who  had  lived  in  Cochin-China 
for  many  years,  told  me  that  so  far  from  being  very 
large,  the  fowls  in  that  country  were  actually  smaller 
than  our  own  in  America.  Eggs  there  are,  of  course, 
but  instead  of  allowing  them  to  be  hatched  naturally, 
they  have  large  establishments  for  hatching  them 
by  artificial  heat.  There  was  one  of  these  concerns 
directly  opposite  my  house,  across  the  Yang-King- 
pang.  It  often  had  sixty  thousand  eggs  at  a  time 
undergoing  this  process.  They  were  placed  in  large 
trays  made  of  straw  over  capacious  mud  furnaces 
around  the  sides  of  the  apartment,  in  wrhich  the  heat 
was  graduated  with  great  skill  by  the  manipulators, 


128  FIVE   YEARS   IN   CHINA. 

solely  by  their  sense  of  feeling,  as  they  have  no  ther- 
mometers. Thus  warmed,  the  eggs  were  trans- 
ferred to  shelves,  eight  or  ten  feet  broad,  arranged  in 
tiers,  one  above  another,  on  strong  frames,  filling  the 
middle  portion  of  the  large,  dark  room.  Each  shelf 
has  a  raised  edge  to  prevent  the  eggs  from  rolling  off, 
and  is  covered  with  a  thick  layer  of  cotton  batting,  on 
which  the  eggs  are  placed.  They  are  then  covered 
by  another  layer  of  the  cotton  to  retain  the  heat,  and 
are  taken  out  and  warmed  whenever  necessary. 
These  beds,  for  such  they  are,  are  frequently  inspected, 
and  the  peeping  of  little  chicks  or  ducks  is  con- 
stantly heard  as  they  are  finding  their  way  through 
the  shells,  into  the  great  world  without.  When 
fairly  emerged,  they  are  taken  by  the  operators  in 
the  establishment  and  kept  warm,  nursed  and  fed 
till  they  are  large  enough  to  be  sold.  These  egg- 
hatchers  perform  the  offices  of  the  mother-hen  so 
well,  that  you  almost  expect  to  hear  them  cluck. 
Thousands  of  eggs  are  bought  and  thousands  of 
chickens  and  ducks  are  sold  every  day.  The  ducks 
are  afterward  raised  in  flocks,  often  of  two  hundred, 
by  men  who  give  their  whole  time  and  attention  to 
this  employment,  as  a  shepherd  does  to  the  care  of  his 
sheep.  These  duckherds,  with  a  long  pole,  gently 
drive  their  flocks  from  pond  to  pond,  and  watch  them 
through  the  day — calling  them  up  to  be  fed,  and 
shutting  them  up  at  night. 

Fish  in  great  variety  abound  in  the  waters  of 
China,  among  them  are  the  carp,  eel,  sole,  mullet, 
and  flounder.  Shad  come  up  the  rivers  in  the 
spring,  and  are  as  highly  esteemed  by  the  "  Celes- 
tials "  as  by  ourselves.     Fishing  by  seines  and  nets 


WHAT   AND    HOW   THEY    EAT.  129 

is  the  most  common  mode,  but  there  are  some  other 
curious  methods  to  be  hereafter  described.  Among 
the  shell-fish  are  lobsters,  crabs  and  turtles  ;  and  on 
some  parts  of  the  coast,  clams  and  oysters  are  found. 
Snails  are  boiled,  and  I  have  often  seen  the  natives 
take  them  thus  cooked,  and  suck  the  contents  from  the 
shell.  The  common  large  earth-worms  are  by  some, 
collected,  dried,  salted  and  eaten  as  a  relish.  Not  only 
have  I  seen  frogs  used  as  an  article  of  diet,  but  have 
eaten  the  hind-legs  myself,  and  found  them  as  white, 
delicate,  and  pleasantly  flavored  as  the  tenderest 
fowl.  Cats,  rats  and  dogs  are  certainly  to  be  enume- 
rated in  a  complete  list  of  Chinese  eatables ;  but  so 
far  from  being  regarded  as  delicacies,  they  are  only 
eaten  by  those  who  cannot  afford  anything  better. 
Bird's-nest  soup  is,  on  the  contrary,  an  expensive 
luxury.  A  certain  species  of  swallow  frequenting  the 
islands  southeast  from  China,  cements  with  its  bill 
the  leaves,  twigs,  straws  and  feathers  of  which  the 
nest  is  mainly  composed — with  a  gelatinous  sub- 
stance which  it  collects  from  marine  plants.  These 
nests  are  gathered  by  the  natives,  from  the  rocks  to 
which  they  are  attached,  and  passed  through 
repeated  washings  and  scrapings,  until  nothing 
remains  but  a  small,  thin  sheet  of  pure,  clean  gela- 
tin. These  sheets  are  dried  and  packed  in  bundles 
to  be  sent  to  their  destined  markets.  The  soup  made 
of  the  bird's-nest  thus  prepared,  is  rich  and  nutritious. 
Sharks'  fins  are  likewise  highly  prized,  and  form  a 
soup  of  similar  properties. 

The  fruits  are  :  Peaches  of  several  varieties,  of  which 
some  are  nearly  if  not  quite  as  fine  as  those  in  the 
United  States.      Plums  of  different  kinds,  most  of 


130  FIVE    YEARS    IN   CHINA. 

which,  by  a  singular  perversion  of  taste,  are  eaten 
perfectly  green.  Pears  abound,  of  very  large  size 
and  juicy ;  but  they  are  hard,  even  when  fully  ripe, 
coarse-grained  and  lacking  in  flavor.  There  are  line 
quinces,  but  the  few  apples  are  very  indifferent. 
Some  are  very  small  and  acid  ;  others  are  quite  large, 
beautiful  and  fragrant,  but  dry,  spongy  and  tasteless. 
They  are  valued  by  the  natives  for  smell  and  orna- 
ment. A  few  cherries  are  seen.  There  are  tine 
grapes  and  pomegranates.  Oranges  are  in  abun- 
dance and  of  all  sizes  when  ripe,  from  that  of  a  wal- 
nut, to  that  common  among  us.  The  rind  is  so  ten- 
der that  it  can  easily  be  torn  off  without  the  use  of  a 
knife,  and  the  divisions  of  the  pulp  almost  fall  apart 
in  your  hands.  They  are  not  perfectly  round,  but 
flattened  at  the  ends,  and  the  flavor,  though  deci- 
dedly pleasant,  is  not  quite  so  delicious  as  that  of 
the  West  India  orange.  There  is,  however,  a  vari- 
ety, known  among  foreigners  as  the  "Hong-Kong 
orange,"  that  nearly  resembles  in  every  respect  that 
familiar  to  us.  The  persimmon  grows  to  an  enormous 
size — eight  inches  in  circumference  is  common  for  it, 
and  I  have  measured  one  that  was  ten.  It  is  of  a  deep 
golden  color,  and  has  a  rich,  sweet  taste,  like  that  in 
our  Southern  States  ;  but  it  ripens  before  frost,  and 
is  not  shrivelled.  You  can  tear  open  the  thin,  smooth 
rind  and  eat  it  with  a  spoon,  as  you  wrould  a  custard. 
The  fig,  guava  and  olive,  and  a  fruit  wrhich  foreign 
ers  call  "  dates" — though  not  the  real  date — are  also 
found,  and  in  the  south  of  China,  the  banana,  plan- 
tain, pine-apple,  shaddock,  lemon  and  citron.  We 
saw  but  very  few  berries  of  any  kind  except  the 
gooseberry.      There  is  a   wTild  strawberry   growing 


WHAT   AND   HOW   THEY   EAT.  131 

abundantly  about  Shanghai,  but  it  is  insipid  and 
worthless.  English  strawberries  have  been  intro- 
duced there  by  foreigners,  and  thrive  well.  There 
are  several  other  varieties  of  fruits  that  are  not 
known  among  us,  and  consequently  have  no  English 
names  ;  except  as  some  of  them  will  admit  of  trans- 
lation, such  as,  for  instance,  the  "  yellow-skin  "  and 
the  ':  dragon-eye."  One  has  been  lately  introduced 
into  this  country  by  the  name  of  the  "  Japan  plum." 
It  certainly  is  not  peculiar  to  Japan,  for  it  abounds 
at  Shanghai,  and  its  name  is  Pe-lo. 

The  most  common  nuts  are  cocoa-nuts,  walnuts, 
chestnuts,  almonds,  filberts,  and  ground-nuts,  or,  as 
they  are  variously  called  in  different  parts  of  this 
country — pea-nuts,  ground-peas,  goobers  or  pindars. 

Sugar  is  made  from  the  cane,  which  is  now  well 
known  in  the  United  States,  as  the  "  Chinese  sugar- 
cane," and  is  extensively  used  in  making  confections, 
sweet-meats,  and  preserves,  of  which  the  ginger  put 
up  at  Canton  in  small  blue  jars,  is  most  familiar  to 
us.  Their  modes  of  cooking  are  boiling,  baking,  broil- 
ing, frying  and  stewing.  Much  fat  is  required  in 
some  of  these  processes ;  but  as  lard  is  expensive, 
vegetable  oils,  expressed  from  certain  varieties  of 
beans,  and  from  cotton-seed,  are  generally  used  in 
cooking,  as  well  as  for  burning.  Even  castor-oil  may 
be  included  among  them.  Their  flour,  which  is  very 
fine — they  make  into  a  great  variety  of  cakes  and 
dumplings,  some  of  which,  in  appearance,  are  not 
unlike  many  of  ours ;  but  they  differ  widely  in  taste. 
We  were  not  a  little,  and  yet  agreeably,  surprised  to 
find  in  their  provision  shops — sponge-cake,  nicely 
made,  precisely  as  it  is  among  ourselves,  and  quite 


132  FIVE   YEARS   IN   CHINA. 

palatable.  The  Chinese  name  for  it,  signifies  "  hen- 
egg  cake."  Vermicelli  is  abundant,  cheap  and  nutri- 
tious. It  may  seem  strange  that  they  make  no  bread, 
nor  is  there  any  word  in  their  language  that  corres- 
ponds to  that  term.  Butter  and  cheese,  also,  are  un- 
known among  the  Chinese,  except  as  we  have  des- 
cribed to  them  the  process  of  making  these  articles  ; 
and  they  have  applied  to  one,  the  term,  "  cow-milk 
grease,"  and  to  the  other,  "  cow-milk  cake  ;"  but  they 
have  a  great  abhorrence  at  eating  them.  Milk  is  but 
little  if  at  all  used,  except  for  infants  and  persons  of 
extreme  age.  "Woman's  milk  is  often  sold  for  this 
purpose.  Being  very  fond  of  highly-seasoned  food, 
they  use  many  condiments,  sauces  and  catsups.  One 
of  these  has  a  taste  very  similar  to  that  of  the  cele- 
brated "  Worcestershire  sauce." 

They  sit  around  a  table  at  their  meals,  though 
workmen  out  of  doors  may  often  be  seen  stooping 
to  the  ground  around  their  large  bowl  of  rice,  which 
is  always  the  principal  dish  at  every  meal.  In  the 
house,  it  occupies  the  middle  of  the  table  and  a  small 
bowl  is  placed  at  each  seat,  with  two  straight  sticks, 
ten  inches  long,  lying  by  the  side  of  it.  These  are 
"chopsticks"  and  supply  the  place  of  a  knife  and 
fork,  but  both  are  held  in  one  hand.  They  are  made 
of  wood,  bamboo,  ivory  or  silver,  according  to  cir- 
cumstances. Each  person  fills  his  bowl  with*  rice 
from  the  large  one  by  a  ladle,  and  then  holding  it  to 
his  mouth,  stuffs  and  almost  shovels  in  the  rice  with 
his  chopsticks,  till  you  wonder  what  becomes  of  it — 
so  quickly  has  it  disappeared.  He  then  takes  with  his 
two  sticks — handling  them  most  dexterously — a  bit 
of  meat,  fish  or  vegetable,  as  the  case  may  be,  that 


WHAT   AND   HOW   THEY   EAT.  133 

which  required  cutting  having  been  divided  into 
mouthfuls  by  the  knife  in  the  kitchen,  before  it  was 
brought  to  the  table.  There  is  usually  some  kind  of 
gravy,  which  each  one  can  put  on  his  rice  with  a 
small  china  ladle.  This  ladle  serves  as  a  spoon 
when  soups  or  stews  form  a  part  of  the  meal.  If 
one  of  your  companions  at  the  table,  wishes  to  pay 
you  a  particular  compliment,  he  dips  the  ladle,  which 
has  been  in  his  own  mouth,  into  the  stew  or  gravy 
and  helps  you  to  it,  pouring  it  over  the  rice  in  your 
bowl.  Or  again,  he  will  take  up  with  his  chopsticks 
a  delicate  morsel  and  deposit  it  on  your  rice.  If  he 
thinks  your  chopsticks  are  not  sufficiently  clean  or 
nice  he  wipes  his  own  by  drawing  them  through  his 
hands,  after  having  sucked  them  clean,  and  then 
passes  them  over  to  you.  At  a  feast,  or  a  special  din- 
ner-party, there  is  a  variety  of  dishes,  and  a  number 
of  courses,  in  proportion  to  the  ability  and  position 
of  the  host.  Forty  or  fifty  courses  are  not  uncom- 
mon among  the  wealthy,  and  the  repast  always 
begins  with  what  we  should  consider  the  dessert  and 
ends  with  plain  boiled  rice.  In  lieu  of  table  nap- 
kins, there  is  a  pile  of  pieces  of  red  paper,  about  five 
inches  square,  and  as  each  course  is  changed,  you 
must  take  one,  and  having  wiped  your  fingers  with  it, 
throw  it  upon  the  floor.  The  variety  of  preparations 
is  certainly  very  great,  and  many  of  them  are  as 
delicate  and  well-flavored  as  any  one  could  desire. 
Such  at  least  is  my  own  opinion,  founded  on  actual 
experience ;  for,  just  in  order  to  inform  myself,  I 
have  done  what,  perhaps,  few  foreigners  who  visit 
China  venture  upon — imagining  the  presence  of  some 
canine  or  feline  ingredient — have  tasted  most  of  the 


134  FIVE   YEARS    IN   CHINA. 

dishes  at  a  fashionable  Chinese  dinner,  even  when 
the  appearance  and  odor  suggested  something  dis- 
agreeable, and  have  often  found  them  exceedingly 
palatable. 

"Women  are  never  seen  at  the  table  with  men,  in 
families  where  the  national  etiquette  is  at  all  observed ; 
but  you  may  often  see  it  disregarded  in  the  dwellings 
of  the  humbler  classes. 

An  intoxicating  beverage  is  distilled  from  rice,  re- 
sembling the  best  whisky.  It  is  taken  in  very  small 
quantities,  always  warm  and  sweetened.  But  although 
there  are  numerous  shops  where  it  is  sold — "  liquor 
shops  " — yet  a  drunken  Chinaman  is  comparatively  a 
rare  sight. 

The  manufacture  of  salt  is  a  government  monopoly, 
and  the  tariff  on  it  is  very  high ;  but  there  are  large 
quantities  made  and  smuggled  into  market.  It  is 
often  amusing  to  see  a  poor  woman,  with  perhaps 
some  article  of  her  dress  made  to  serve  as  a  small, 
temporary  sack,  hobbling  along  with  it  on  her  shoul- 
der, filled  with  the  contraband  article ;  and  some- 
times skulking  and  dodging  about,  looking  suspi- 
ciously at  every  one  she  meets. 

Marriages  are  contracted  by  parents  for  their 
children  during  infancy ;  nor,  according  to  the  usage 
of  the  country,  can  the  parents  of  the  one  child  nego- 
tiate directly  with  those  of  the  other.  An  indis- 
pensable actor  in  the  transaction,  is  a  "  middle  per- 
son"—commonly  called  in  English  a  "  go-between." 
This  individual  may  be  either  a  man  or  a  woman,  and 
is  generally  an  intimate  friend  of  one  family  or  the 
other.  Supposing  it  a  woman — she  ascertains  upon 
inquiry  among  families  of  the  same  social  position,  if 


MARKIAGE.  135 

a  matrimonial  alliance  between  them  would  be  agree- 
able, giving  to  each  all  the  information  desired  re- 
specting the  other.  If  there  be  no  objection,  she 
inquires  of  them  the  precise  date  of  the  birth  of  the 
two  children — the  boy  generally  being,  at  least,  a 
year  or  two  the  elder — and  consults  a  fortune-teller 
or  an  astrologer,  who,  by  comparing  their  horoscopes, 
pronounces  whether  a  marriage  between  them  will  be 
fortunate  or  otherwise.  If  the  response  is  favorable, 
it  is  so  announced  to  the  parents  of  both,  and  presents 
of  greater  or  less  value,  according  to  their  station  in 
life,  are  exchanged  between  the  families  as  a  ratifica- 
tion of  the  betrothal.  If  the  girl  dies  before  mar- 
riage, another  is  sought  for  the  youth  in  the  same 
manner  as  at  first.  But  if  he  dies,  it  is  far  more 
reputable  for  his  betrothed  to  live  single— she  some- 
times becomes  a  nun.  Presents  are  sent  annually, 
and  communication  is  kept  up  by  messages,  or  writ- 
ing, or  both,  during  the  years  that  elapse  till  the 
marriage ;  but  the  affianced  pair  do  not  see  each 
other  until  the  hour  of  their  nuptials.  When  both 
become  of  suitable  age — say  from  fifteen  to  twenty — 
one  of  the  "  lucky  days  "  is  selected  for  this  event, 
which  is  always  consummated  at  the  house  of  the 
bridegroom,  whose  parents  provide  a  sumptuous  feast 
on  the  occasion.  The  bride  is  arrayed  in  her  costliest 
attire — has  a  gaudy  head-dress  projecting  several 
inches  over  her  face,  glittering  with  strings  of  pen- 
dent beads,  while  from  its  square  front  hangs  the  veil 
which  hides  her  face.  A  "  flowery  sedan,"  with  four 
bearers,  is  hired  to  convey  her  to  the  residence  of  her 
future  husband.  This  vehicle  is  of  much  larger 
dimensions  than  those  used  for  ordinary  purposes — is 


136  FIVE   YEARS    IN    CHINA. 

covered  with  flaming  red  cloth,  gaily  embroidered, 
and  has  long,  heavy,  silken  tassels  hanging  from  the 
four  corners  of  its  projecting  top.  On  leaving  her 
home,  and  taking  her  seat  in  the  bridal  sedan,  she 
breaks  out  into  the  most  violent  lamentations,  which 
must  be  continued,  according  to  "  custom,"  through- 
out the  whole  progress  of  the  procession,  till  she 
reaches  the  entrance  of  her  future  abode ;  for  the 
newly-married  pair  always  live  for  some  time  with 
the  parents  of  the  husband,  to  whom  the  wife  becomes 
a  servant.  Especially  does  his  mother  often  exercise 
over  her  a  most  tyrannical  and  exacting  authority. 
So  much  so,  that  the  cruelty  of  a  mother-in-law  has 
passed  into  a  proverb.  The  bride  is  aware  of  this, 
and  hence  her  wailing  on  leaving  the  home  of  her 
childhood  for  a  new  one,  where  she  may  be  treated 
with  a  rigorous  harshness.  The  sedan  is  preceded  by 
men  and  boys  carrying  gay  flags  and  lighted  lanterns, 
even  in  the  daytime ;  and  then  comes  a  band  of 
musicians,  consisting  of  twelve  boys  in  uniform,  walk- 
ing in  pairs,  and  wearing  long  drab  gowns,  black  or 
claret-colored  velvet  jackets,  and  red-tasselled  caps. 
Prominent  among  their  instruments  is  the  gong,  of 
course ;  then  cymbals,  horns,  trumpets,  and  several 
others,  which  for  want  of  any  other  name  in  English, 
I  shall  call  clarionets,  fifes,  flageolets,  and  flutes,  be- 
cause they  bear  some  resemblance  to  those  instru- 
ments. .Next  comes  a  long  train  of  well-grown  boys, 
also  walking  two  and  two  in  holiday  costume,  which 
differs  from  that  worn  by  the  musicians,  only  in  that 
the  gowns  are  of  light-blue,  figured  silk,  and  the  jackets 
of  dark-blue  broadcloth.  When  the  procession 
arrives  at  the  place  of  its  destination,  packs  of  fire- 


MARRIAGE.  137 

crackers  are  let  off,  and  strings  of  gilt  paper  burned 
near  the  entrance  at  which  the  sedan  is  set  down. 
The  "  go-between  "  opens  its  door,  leads  out  the  veiled 
bride,  and  conducts  her  into  the  reception-room,  or 
"  ancestral  hall,"  where  the  guests  are  already 
assembled.  At  its  further  end,  stands  a  table,  on 
which  are  burning  red  wax  candles  and  sticks  of  in- 
cense, in  honor  of  the  ancestors,  whose  pictorial  re- 
presentations hang  over  it  against  the  wall.  Here 
the  goom  (see  Webster)  is  waiting,  and  receives  his 
bride  with  a  simple  bow  ;  then  both  kneel  reverently, 
and  bow  three  times  to  the  pictures  of  their  ancestors. 
The  "  go-between  "  then  takes  two  pieces  of  narrow, 
thin  silk — each  about  a  yard  in  length — .the  one  green 
and  the  other  red,  and  tying  an  end  of  each  together, 
puts  the  other  end  of  the  green  silk  into  his  right 
hand,  and  the  red  into  hers.  They  then  kneel  face  to 
face,  and  bow  to  each  other  three  times ;  then,  rising 
to  their  feet,  turn  and  worship  their  ancestors  again 
in  the  same  manner.  Repeating  these  alternate 
genuflections  several  times,  the  ceremony  is  com- 
pleted, and  the  groom  leads  his  bride  into  an  adjoin- 
ing apartment,  where  he  takes  off  the  veil,  and 
beholds  her  face  for  the  first  time  in  his  life.  He  then 
comes  out,  expressing  in  his  looks  satisfaction  or  dis- 
appointment, and  receives  the  congratulations  or  con- 
dolence of  his  friends ;  while  the  females  present 
enter  the  room  he  has  left,  and  salute  the  bride 
simply  in  words — the  Chinese  never  kiss.  The  tables 
laden  with  luxuries  next  receive  due  attention — the 
males  eating  in  one  apartment,  and  the  females  in 
another.  So  the  remainder  of  the  day,  with  several 
more  in  succession,  are  passed  in  festivities,  consisting 


138  FIVE   YEAES   IN   CHINA. 

of  dinner  parties,  given  by  relatives  and  friends, 
amusements,  and  general  hilarity.  The  dower  of  the 
bride  consists  in  part,  and  often  entirely,  in  the  fur- 
niture for  her  apartment — all  of  red — and  her  ward- 
robe, in  red  trunks  and  boxes,  borne  along  by  coolies 
in  the  wedding-procession.  As  yellow  is  the  imperial, 
so  red  is  the  festive  color,  among  the  Chinese. 

A  favorite  pastime  with  the  Chinese  gentry  consists 
in  leisurely  lounging  or  walking  about,  carrying  rare 
birds  in  fanciful  cages.  Some  of  the  most  common 
out-of-door  amusements  are  kite-flying,  hopscotch, 
and  shuttlecock.  In  the  latter,  much  dexterity  is  ex- 
hibited by  the  players  in  keeping  the  feathered  cork 
flying  between  them,  by  striking  it  with  the  bottom 
of  the  foot.  No  battle-door  is  ever  used.  Kites  are 
made  to  resemble  men,  birds,  dragons,  and  even, 
jointed,  wriggling  centipedes.  I  have  seen  them  like 
the  latter,  thirty  feet  long. 


CHAPTER  XL 

NOTIONS  OF  MEDICINE  AND  DISEASE PUNISHMENTS PAU- 

SHAN. 

Medical  Practice — Native  Ideas  of  Medicines  and  Anatomy — Diseases 
— Smallpox— Singular  mode  of  Inoculation — Letters — Chinese 
Names  and  Titles — Modes  of  Punishment — Beating — The  "  Cangue  " 
— Great  Severity  and  Barbarity — City  Prison — "  Squeezing  " — The 
Wooden  Cage — Modes  of  Capital  Punishment — Beheading — Stran- 
gulation— Modes  of  Suicide — Its  Object — Flaying  Alive — Cutting  to 
Pieces — A  Trip  to  Pau-shan — Description  of  the  City — High  em- 
bankment— Battery — Cannon — Scene  of  a  Battle— Chinese  Bravery 
— Deification  of  a  General  after  his  Death. 

I  have  found,  says  my  journal,  my  medical  practice 
of  great  service  to  me  in  gaining  the  confidence  and 
good  will  of  the  people,  though  they  are  not  at  all 
hostile  to  foreigners.  The  other  day  I  performed  a 
successful  operation  on  a  poor  man's  eye,  which  re- 
lieved him  so  much  that  he  is  expressing  his  thank- 
fulness to  me  every  day,  as  he  is  a  very  near  neigh- 
bor. He  was  formerly  a  wealthy  man,  but  by  some 
reverse  of  fortune,  has  been  reduced  to  deep  poverty  • 
and  as  he  was  rapidly  becoming  blind,  he  presented 
altogether  a  most  pitiable  appearance  ;  but  since  he 
has  the  prospect  of  prolonged  eyesight,  and  that,  too, 
much  improved,  he  is  greatly  encouraged,  and  looks 
like  quite  another  man. 

In  several  instances  where  relief  has  been  afforded, 


140  FIVE  TEAKS   IN   CHINA. 

the  patients  have  manifested  the  most  extravagant 
gratitude.  They  are  greatly  surprised  that  I  will  fur- 
nish them  remedies  so  far  superior  to  the  absurd  com- 
biuations  of  their  own  apothecaries,  and  yet  receive 
nothing  by  way  of  remuneration  in  return.  One  poor 
fellow  showed  me  a  dried  centipede,  about  three 
inches  in  length,  which  he  was  about  to  pulverize 
and  take  in  a  draught  of  tea,  as  a  remedy  for  rheu- 
matism in  his  knee !  He  said  he  had  taken  one  al- 
ready. This  was  in  accordance  with  one  of  the  prin- 
ciples of  Chinese  medical  philosophy,  which  is,  that 
small  portions  of  certain  animals,  taken  internally, 
will  impart  the  qualities  that  distinguish  these  ani- 
mals, to  the  persons  who  take  the  remedies.  There- 
fore, because  the  centipede  is  remarkably  flexible,  it 
would  render  flexible  a  limb  stiff  with  rheumatism  ! 

The  compounders  of  native  medicines  take  a  live 
deer  and  beat  it  in  a  large  stone  mortar — hide,  hair, 
horns,  hoofs,  bones,  flesh,  and  entrails — to  an  undis- 
tinguishable  mass,  which  they  make  up  in  large  pills, 
to  be  sold  to  persons  who  have  become  infirm  or  de- 
crepit, either  from  age  or  disease,  with  the  idea  that 
they  will  impart  agility  and  renewed  vigor  to  those 
thus  enfeebled,  because,  forsooth,  the  deer  is  an  active 
animal ! 

In  accordance  with  this  sage  theory,  pills  made  of 
the  bones  of  tigers  are  given  to  soldiers  before  going 
into  battle,  to  render  them  fierce  and  brave. 

The  native  physicians  always  feel  the  pulse  in  both 
wrists  before  they  prescribe.  They  assert  that  there 
is  a  difference  in  the  pulsations,  and  they  distinguish 
nearly  a  hundred  varieties  in  the  character  of  the  pulse. 

As  they  never  practise  dissection — having  a  great 


NOTIONS   OF  MEDICINE   AND   DISEASE.  141 

horror  at  cutting  a  dead  subject,  and  indeed  a  living 
one  also ;  for  the  use  of  the  knife  in  surgery  is  unknown 
among  them — their  ideas  of  anatomy  are  exceedingly 
crude  and  absurd.  For  instance,  in  some  drawings 
pretending  to  show  the  internal  structure  of  the  hu- 
man body,  you  will  see  exhibited  five  parallel  tubes 
leading  from  the  throat  to  the  stomach. 

Notwithstanding  these  ridiculous  crudities,  experi- 
ence has  taught  them  the  properties  of  many  really 
valuable  remedial  agents,  mostly  vegetable,  of  which 
they  have  an  immense  variety — herbs,  barks,  roots, 
leaves,  gums,  and  berries.  They  also  have  some 
mineral  medicines,  among  which  are  several  prepa- 
rations of  iron,  copper,  gold,  silver,  and  mercury. 
They  call  the  last  "  water  silver." 

The  diseases  prevalent  at  Shanghai  are  similar  to 
those  in  corresponding  latitudes  and  localities  in 
America ;  but  the  native  treatment,  being  entirely 
empirical,  is  far  from  being  as  successful. 

When  there  is  temporary  aberration  of  mind,  as 
often  occurs  during  sickness,  they  say  the  soul  has 
left  the  body  ;  and  we  have  sometimes  heard  the  rela- 
tives of  the  sufferer,  howling  about  the  vicinity  of 
the  dwelling  through  the  whole  night,  calling  the 
strayed  soul  to  return  home  to  its  abode. 

Diseases  of  the  eye  are  far  more  common  than 
among  us,  and  great  numbers  of  persons,  of  all  ranks 
and  ages,  thus  afflicted,  presented  themselves  to  me  for 
treatment.  Many  were  relieved  by  local  applications, 
and  many  others  by  operations.  Cutaneous  diseases 
are  also  very  prevalent,  especially  among  the  lower 
classes  of  the  people,  arising  mainly  from  their  want  of 
attention  to  personal  cleanliness.     Here,  also,  for  the 


14:2  FIVE   YEARS   IN   CHINA. 

first  time,  I  saw  leprosy.  It  is  contagious,  and  regarded 
as  incurable.  Smallpox  is  common,  but  they  have 
learned  to  guard  against  its  ravages  by  inoculation  in 
infancy.  The  mode  is  singular.  Selecting  that  age 
of  the  child,  the  condition  of  the  system,  and  the  sea- 
son of  the  year  which  experience  has  taught  them  to 
be  most  favorable,  they  take  a  bit  of  cotton,  and  go- 
ing to  one  who  has  the  disease  fully  developed,  open 
a  pustule,  saturate  the  cotton  in  the  virus,  and  insert 
it  into  both  nostrils  of  the  child.  This,  of  course, 
communicates  the  disease.  Their  treatment  is  chiefly 
dieting,  exclusion  from  light,  and  keeping  the  body 
and  limbs  confined  in  a  bag,  which  is  tied  around 
the  neck.  The  issue  is  generally  favorable,  but  it 
sometimes  results  in  death.  Yaccination  has  been 
introduced  by  foreign  physicians,  and  greatly  delights 
the  natives,  as  being  far  less  troublesome  and  hazard- 
ous, while  it  is  nearly,  if  not  quite  as  efficacious.  I  saw 
a  case  of  elephantiasis ■,  in  which  the  man's  leg  at  the 
knee  was  twenty-seven  inches  in  circumference.  It 
was  hard  and  rough  like  that  of  an  elephant — hence 
the  name. 

Chinese  names,  and  indeed  all  other  words  in  their 
language,  are  monosyllabic.  To  accommodate  them- 
selves to  this  peculiarity,  most  of  the  missionaries  use 
but  one  syllable  of  their  proper  surnames,  as  it  is 
more  convenient  both  in  speaking  and  writing,  and 
is  less  strange  to  the  people.  Accordingly  my 
Chinese  name  is  Tay,  to  which  they  add  the  words 
seen-sang,  by  way  of  respect,  as  among  themselves. 
In  their  usual  acceptation,  these  words  signify 
"  teacher,"  "  Mr.,"  "  Sir,"  or  "  Esq.,"  but  rendered 
literally,  earlier  bom,  or  elder. 


-_    -* 


NOTIONS   OF  MEDICINE   AND   DISEASE.  143 

Here  are  three  letters  written  to  me  by  one  of  my 
patients : 

"  Respectfully  imploring  of  Tay  seen-sang' s  genii- 
like  pills,  one  dose.  Yoh-  Yen's  body  is  sick.  His 
face  is  red  and  puffed  out.  There  is  all  the  time 
much  expectoration  and  cough,  with  difficulty  of 
breathing.  The  entrance  into  his  stomach  is  not 
open  (i.  e.,  cannot  eat).  His  four  limbs  are  also 
puffed  out.  The  bones  in  his  side,  when  he  coughs, 
are  painful.  He  cannot  lie  down  long  at  a  time,  and 
is  very  much  confused.  He  prays  you  to  bestow 
your  spiritual  (i.  e.,  your  efficacious)  medicine,  for 
which,  when  swallowed,  and  he  is  perfectly  recovered, 
it  will  be  his  duty  to  worship  and  thank  you. 

"  The  later  born,  Yoh,  entreats." 

Later  born,  i.  e.,  younger,  is  tantamount  to  "  Your 
obedient  servant." 

"  Stooping  and  praying  Tay  seen-sang  that  he  will 
yet  again  bestow  of  his  genii-like  medicines,  one  dose. 
For  in  my  sickness  my  breath  is  very  short,  and  my 
four  limbs  are  much  swollen.  My  stomach's  entrance 
is  not  open.  I  pray  and  implore  some  of  your  spirit- 
ual medicine,  and  then  I  shall  be  perfectly  well. 
Your  teacher  can  make  all  this  as  clear  as  lightning. 

"  1st  moon,  23d  day. 

"  The  later  born,  Yoh,  entreats." 

"  Stooping  and  entreating  for  Tay  seen-sang 's  genii- 
like  pills.  Yoh-  Yen's  sickness  dosed  with  your  pills, 
his  disease  will  be  perfectly  cured,  as  if  by  divinely 
devised,  mysterious  medicine.  To-day  at  10  o'clock, 
wishing  to  return  home,  I  most  respectfully  beg  you 


144  FIVE   YEARS    IN    CHINA. 

again  to  bestow  of  your  spiritual  pills,  several  doses, 
so  that  I  may  be  entirely  well :  and  on  the  day  that 
I  come  to  Shanghai  again,  at  your  door  will  I  wor- 
ship and  thank  you  not  merely  once. 
"  1st  moon,  27th  day. 

uThe  later  born,  Yoh,  entreats." 

This  poor  fellow  was  a  cabinet  maker,  from  the 
neighboring  port  of  Ningpo,  and  was  in  a  truly  piti- 
able condition  when  I  first  saw  him.  He  went  home, 
however,  nearly  well,  taking  6ome  Christian  books 
and  tracts  which  I  had  given  him.  The  gratuitous 
medical  relief  he  had  experienced,  was  also  as  I 
learned,  a  powerful  argument  to  his  mind  in  favor  of 
the  religious  truths  that  had  been  pressed  upon -his 
attention ;  and  this  we  found  to  be  universally  the 
case. 

I  was  once  requested  to  visit  a  man  in  the  city  pri- 
son, who,  for  some  comparatively  trilling  offence,  had 
been  most  cruelly  beaten  with  a  flat  bamboo,  five 
feet  long  and  three  inches  wide,  upon  the  fleshy  por- 
tions of  one  thigh  and  leg,  until  the  life  of  the  parts 
was  entirely  destroyed,  and  the  whole  mass  bruised  to 
a  jelly.  When  I  first  saw  him,  the  leg  was  swollen 
to  twice  its  natural  size,  mortification  had  commenced, 
and  it  was  too  late  to  save  his  life :  he  died  within 
thirty  hours  after.  Culprits  are  frequently  beaten  on 
the  cheek  with  a  similar  instrument  of  smaller  size. 
In  the  same  apartment  with  the  unfortunate  map. 
above  alluded  to,  were  four  others,  confined  together 
by  a  heavy  chain  attached  to  iron  collars  on  their 
necks.  Some  had  already  suffered  in  the  manner 
above  described,  though  not  so  severely  as  to  prevent 


_    . 


PUNISHMENTS.  145 

them  standing  and  indulging  in  as  much  motion  as 
five  feet  of  chain  would  allow  to  each  man.  There 
was  a  poor  old  man  sitting  near  them  in  the  "  cangue" 
which  was  four  feet  square,  made  of  plank  two  inches 
in  thickness,  and  had  a  hole  in  the  middle  large 
enough  for  the  neck.  It  was  so  heavy  that  the  wear- 
er was  compelled  to  hold  his  head  and  body  inclined 
forward,  to  allow  one  corner  of  the  cangue  to  rest  on 
the  bench  on  which  he  was  sitting.  He  told  me  he 
was  suffering  this  punishment  because  he  could  not 
pay  his  taxes.  This  may  have  been  true  or  not.  You 
may  frequently  see  criminals  wearing  this  instrument 
of  torture,  seated  on  the  side  of  some  crowded  street, 
or  in  some  place  of  public  resort,  having  their  names, 
residence  and  the  nature  of  the  crimes  for  which  they 
are  thus  punished,  written  in  large  characters  on  paper, 
which  is  pasted  on  the  sides  of  the  cangue.  While 
in  this  situation  it  is  impossible  for  them  to  raise  the 
hand  to  the  head,  and  they  can  only  eat  as  they  are 
fed  by  another.  The  punishments  in  China  often  are 
most  unjustly  disproportionate  to  the  offence,  and  are 
so  cruel  that  the  people  are  kept  in  subjection  by  the 
terror  which  these  dreadful  inflictions  strike  into  their 
hearts.  There  is  no  doubt  in  my  own  mind,  but  this 
is  one  of  the  many  reasons  why  so  many  millions  of 
people  are  ruled  with  comparatively  so  small  a  force. 
If  a  crime  is  committed,  the  persons  accused  or  most, 
suspected,  are  arrested,  and  it  matters  very  little  to 
the  authorities  whether  they  are  guilty  or  innocent, 
the  punishment  is  inflicted  unless  the  party  be  rich 
enough  either  to  bribe  the  judges  and  escape,  or  to 
hire  a  substitute  to  undergo  the  suffering  in  his  stead. 
The  laws  admit  of  this,  and  a  case  occurred  in  Canton 


146  FIVE  YEARS   IN   CHINA. 

not  long  since,  where  a  man  actually  consented,  for 
the  sum  of  five  hundred  dollars,  to  take  the  place  of 
another  condemned  to  die,  and  accordingly  was  exe- 
cuted. When  asked  why  he  did  this,  he  replied  that  his 
family  was  poor,  and  as  that  sum  invested  would  pro- 
vide for  them  during  their  lives,  he  was  willing  to 
sacrifice  his  own  to  procure  it  for  them. 

The  city  prison  has  the  appearance  of  a  series  of 
large  cages — one  side  consisting  of  strong  wooden 
bars,  reaching  from  the  eaves  to  the  ground.  They 
are  often  crammed  with  unfortunates,  mostly  incar- 
cerated for  petty  offences.  So  neglected  are  they 
by  the  jailers,  who  often  pocket  the  money  given 
them  by  the  magistrates  to  buy  food  for  the  prisoners, 
that  they  sometimes  nearly  starve,  and  perhaps  would 
quite  perish,  did  not  their  relatives  or  friends  come 
and  feed  them. 

Thus  huddled  together,  they  also  become  covered 
with  vermin,  and  contract  loathsome  diseases.  Nor 
is  it  an  uncommon  thing  for  the  poor  creatures  to  die 
there.  I  once  procured  the  release  of  a  man  who  had 
been  working  forme — but  had  been  unjustly  accused, 
arrested  and  imprisoned  in  this  pest-house — by 
threatening  the  magistrate  with  the  interposition  and 
displeasure  of  the  American  Consul. 

These  villainous  officers  will  frequently  seize  and 
drag  to  prison,  for  no  cause  whatever,  persons  whom 
they  suspect  of  having  money,  simply  to  extort  an 
offer  of  a  sum  for  their  release.  This  common  prac- 
tice is  designated  in  the  Canton-English  jargon,  as 
"squeeze  pidjin" — the  term  "pidjin"  being  a  singu- 
lar corruption  of  the  word  "  business." 

I  once  saw  a  man  who  had  been  caught  stealing  at 


PUNISHMENTS.  147 

a  fire,  confined  in  a  wooden  cage  about  four  feet  high, 
and  three  feet  square,  with  his  head  protruding 
through  a  hole  in  the  top,  which  fitted  closely  about 
his  neck.  Thus  placed,  he  could  neither  stand  up- 
right nor  sit  down,  but  was  kept  in  an  exceedingly 
painful,  half-stooping  posture,  till  at  the  expiration  of 
two  'days,  as  I  was  afterward  informed,  death  came 
to  his  relief. 

The  mode  of  capital  punishment  in  Canton,  is,  as 
we  have  seen,  by  decapitation.  Here  at  Shanghai, 
it  is  by  strangulation,  after  the  following  method : 
A  post  is  set  firmly  in  the  ground,  and  a  hole  bored 
through  it,  just  at  the  height  of  the  neck  of  the  cul- 
prit. He  is  placed  with  his  back  against  it,  and  his 
hands  are  pinioned  behind.  A  rope  is  then  passed  in 
a  loop  through  the  hole,  over  the  head  and  around 
the  neck  of  the  victim.  Two  men,  each  taking  an 
end  of  the  rope,  draw  it  tightly,  till  the  poor  wretch 
is  strangled.  I  did  not  wish  to  witness  the  execution, 
but  went  afterward  and  looked  at  the  post. 

Hanging,  drowning  and  poisoning,  are  resorted  to 
for  suicide,  by  those  to  whom  life  is  no  longer  endur- 
able ;  and  strangely  enough  too,  by  those  also  who  wish 
to  take  vengeance  of  an  enemy.  It  is  more  dreaded 
by  the  object  of  such  revenge,  than  almost  any  other, 
because  it  is  believed  that  the  spirit  of  an  enemy  thus 
set  free,  has  the  power  to  afliict  and  torment,  in  all 
conceivable  ways,  the  surviving  adversary  through 
all  his  days.  Cruel  husbands  fear  a  threat  of  this 
sort  of  retaliation,  by  an  oppressed  wife,  more  than 
any  other,  and  often  modify  their  treatment  when 
they  have  reason  to  think  it  will  be  carried  into  effect. 
A  woman  once  hung  herself  to  a  tree  not  far  from  my 


14:8  FIVE  TEAKS  IN  CHINA. 

residence,  for  this  very  purpose,  and  her  unkind  liege- 
lord  was  in  a  terrible  state  of  alarm  on  account  of  tl^e 
anticipated  and  fearful  visitations  of  her  enraged 
spirit. 

Flaying  alive,  tearing  with  pincers,  and  hacking  to 
pieces,  are  also  among  the  punishments  in  their 
criminal  code. 

On  one  occasion  I  went,  accompanied  by  Mrs.  Taylor 
and  a  friend,  in  a  covered  native  boat,  to  visit  a  walled 
town  twenty  miles  distant  from  this  place,  by  water, 
and  two  miles  north  of  Woosung,  the  village  at  the 
mouth  of  the  river  on  which  Shanghai  is  situated — the 
Ilwang-pu,  at  its  junction  with  the  Yang-tsz-Kiang, 
which  is  here  twenty  miles  wide.  As  the  country 
here  is  lower  than  the  river,  it  is  protected  from  in- 
undation by  an  embankment  or  levee,  twenty  or 
thirty  feet  high,  which  extends,  we  were  informed, 
for  many  miles  into  the  interior.  Landing  at  "Woo- 
sung, we  walked  along  on  the  top  of  this  embank 
ment  for  two  miles,  having  the  wide,  level,  highly- 
cultivated  country,  sprinkled  with  cottages  and  ham- 
lets on  our  left,  and  the  great  river  of  China  on  our 
right,  bounded  by  the  horizon,  in  its  course  toward 
the  sea.  There  is  a  very  strong  resemblance  between 
this  river  and  the  adjacent  country,  protected  by 
this  embankment,  and  the  Mississippi  with  the  lands 
bordering  on  it,  near  New  Orleans.  This  embank- 
ment, faced  with  heavy  stone  masonry  on  the  side 
toward  the  water,  for  three  miles  in  extent,  was,  du- 
ring the  Opium  War,  seven  years  before,  surmounted 
with  a  battery  of  one  hundred  and  thirty-four  guns. 
Most  of  these  cannon  were  of  enormous  size,  and 
were  still  lying  there,  on  their  huge,  immovable 


PATJ-SHAK.  149 

frames,  with  their  yawning  mouths  yet  pointing  to- 
ward the  broad  entrance  to  the  river.  Some  that 
we  saw  were  fifteen  feet  long,  and  would  carry  a  ball 
nine  inches  in  diameter.  This  point  was  the  scene 
of  one  of  the  most  hotly-contested  engagements  in 
the  whole  war.  It  was  stated  that  the  Chinese 
worked  their  guns  with  more  skill  and  effect  than 
had  ever  before  been  known.  They  also  fought 
bravely  hand  to  hand  with  the  British,  who  had  land- 
ed, but  were  at  last  forced  to  retire,  leaving  a  hun- 
dred dead  on  the  field.  Among  them  was  the  Gen- 
eral, Chin,  who  was  deified  by  the  Emperor  for  his 
bravery,  and  to  whose  image,  sitting  in  his  robes  of 
state,  in  a  temple  erected  to  his  memory,  in  Shang- 
hai, divine  honors  are  paid.  It  was  announced  after 
his  death  that  he  sent  down  word  from  heaven  that 
he  had  been  appointed  second  general-in-chief  to  the 
Board  of  Thunder,  in  which  capacity  he  intended  to 
exterminate  the  "  red-haired  devils,"  and  so  repay 
the  imperial  favor ;  for  the  emperor  had  given  his 
family  a  thousand  taels  of  silver,  and  advanced  his 
son  to  the  first  literary  degree,  corresponding  to 
"Bachelor  of  Arts." 

When  in  London,  five  years  after,  I  saw  among  the 
trophies  in  the  Tower,  a  curious  brass  cannon  that 
was  among  those  captured  in  that  battle  on  this  very 
spot.  Only  those  of  iron  were  left  in  the  places  where 
they  were  found,  and  where  we  saw  them. 

A  half  hour's  walk  on  this  splendid  embankment 
brought  us  to  Pau-shan,  for  this  is  the  name  of  the 
town.  It  is  surrounded  by  a  brick  wall,  about  twenty 
feet  high,  has  four  gates  like  those  of  Shanghai,  and 
contains  a  population  of  about  five  thousand.     We 


150  FIVE   TEAKS   IN   CHINA. 

entered  the  eastern  one,  and  were  quite  surprised  at 
finding  multitudes  of  people,  but  scarcely  any  shops. 
We  soon  learned,  however,  that  the  town  was  almost 
exclusively  occupied  by  the  families  of  those  culti- 
vating the  fields  without  the  walls,  and  that  they  lived 
in  this  manner  within  the  city,  for  greater  security 
against  the  pirates  who  formerly  made  frequent  attacks 
upon  the  defenceless  farmers.  I  distributed  a  large 
number  of  tracts  and  copies  of  the  Ten  Commandments 
to  the  people  who  crowded  around  us  in  the  narrow 
streets  ;  and  while  Mrs.  T.  and  our  friend  went  into 
the  cool  recess  of  a  large  temple  to  rest  after  their 
walk,  I  stood  on  the  stone  steps  at  the  door  without, 
and  addressed  the  multitude  that  had  assembled,  for 
about  an  hour,  on  the  first  and  second  command- 
ments. They  listened  attentively,  said  they  under- 
stood me,  and  assented  to  the  excellence  of  the  doc- 
trine, as  they  are  generally  ready  to  do,  but,  at  the 
same  time,  they  manifest  an  apathy  that  is  most  pain- 
ful to  the  heart  of  the  missionary.  After  a  short  time 
we  returned  to  our  boat,  ate  a  cold  dinner  with  a 
hearty  relish,  and,  with  the  favorable  tide,  were  on 
our  way  back  to  Shanghai. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

PREPARATION  OF  TEA — AGRICULTURE — FUEL. 

Modes  of  preparing  "  Green  Tea"  and  "  Black  Tea" — Prussian  Blue 
— Personal  Observation — Signification  of  the  different  Names  of  Teas 
— Agricultural  Implements — Two  Varieties  of  Oxen — Culture  ot 
Rice — Mode  of  Manuring — Floating  Gardens — Fuel — Wood — Coal 
— Hand  and  Foot  Stoves — How  Beds  are  warmed  in  Winter — 
The  "  Bamboo  "  or  Cane — Its  many  Uses — Sedans — How  made — 
Funeral  Processions — Customs  on  such  occasions. 

As  the  tea-plant  does  not  grow  in  the  vicinity  of 
Shanghai,  but  in  the  hilly  portions  of  the  country, 
we  know  little  of  its  culture  from  personal  observa- 
tion. A  few  facts  may  be  mentioned  to  correct  some 
erroneous  notions  that  are  prevalent  among  our  coun- 
trymen at  home. 

The  same  plant  produces  all  the  varieties.  The 
different  times  of  gathering,  and  modes  of  prepara- 
tion, cause  all  the  difference  between  those  kinds 
known  by  so  many  distinct  names — both  of  green 
and  black.  The  leaves  only  are  picked,  and  not  the 
flowers :  they  are  all  rolled  with  the  fingers.  Those 
dried  rapidly  in  iron  basins  over  a  fire  become  "  green 
tea"  while  those  thrown  into  very  hot  basins,  then 
taken  quickly  out,  exposed  to  the  sun  for  a  while,  and 
afterward  dried  over  a  fire,  become  "  black  tea." 
These  "  pans,"  as  some  writers  call  them,  but  more 


152  FIVE  YEARS  IN  CHINA. 

correctly,  bowls  or  basins,  for  they  are  nearly  semi- 
globular  in  shape,  and  about  eighteen  inches  in  diam- 
eter— are  always  of  iron — never  of  copper.  A  mix- 
ture of  prussian  blue  and  gypsum  is  used  in  the 
preparation  of  some  green  teas ;  but  the  better  quali- 
ties are  generally  perfectly  pure. 

The  native  building  on  the  North  Gate  street  in 
which  we  lived  during  the  first  year  of  our  residence 
at  Shanghai,  was  rented,  after  we  left  it,  to  a  tea- 
merchant.  On  visiting  it  afterward,  I  found  he  had 
turned  our  former  kitchen  into  a  tea-coloring  room. 
There  were  around  the  sides  of  the  apartment,  four- 
teen of  these  iron  bowls,  set  in  mortar  on  the  top  of  as 
many  brick  furnaces,  in  which  moderate  fires  were 
burning.  Thirteen  of  the  bowls  were  half-filled  with 
tea-leaves,  and  a  man  stood  at  each,  rapidly  stirring 
them  with  his  hand.  The  remaining  bowl  contained 
a  quantity  of  this  bluish-green  coloring  matter,  which 
another  was  also  stirring.  To  this,  one  the  men  from 
the  others  would  come  every  few  minutes,  and,  tak- 
ing from  it  a  small  quantity  of  the  contents,  would 
return  and  stir  it,  each  into  his  bowl  of  the  leaves,  till 
they  had  acquired  the  requisite  hue.  The  exceed- 
ingly minute  quantity  of  prussian  blue  that  any  per- 
son could  imbibe,  in  drinking  tea  from  leaves  thus 
prepared,  precludes,  in  my  opinion,  the  possibility  of 
injury  resulting  therefrom. 

The  significations  of  some  of  the  names  by  which 
teas  are  known,  are  as  follows — making  due  allow- 
ance for  the  changes  and  corruption  they  undergo,  in 
form  and  sound,  in  being  Anglicized.  "Hyson" 
means  "  before  the  rains,"  or  "  flourishing  spring" — 
that  is,  early  in  the  spring.    Hence,  it  is  often  called 


AGRICULTURE.  153 

"  Young  Hyson."  "  Hyson  skin"  is  composed  of  the 
refuse  of  the  other  kinds,  the  native  term  for  which 
means  "  tea-skins."  Refuse,  of  a  still  coarser  descrip- 
tion, containing  many  stems,  is  called  "tea-bones." 
"  Bohea  "  is  the  name  of  the  hills  in  the  region  where 
it  is  collected.  "  Pekoe"  or  "  Pecco"  means  "  white 
hairs" — the  down  on  the  tender  leaves.  "Pouchong" — 
"folded  plant."  "  Souchong"—"  small  plant."  "  Twan- 
kay  "  is  the  name  of  a  stream  in  the  province  whence 
it  is  brought.  "  Congo"  is  from  a  term  signifying 
"  labor,"  from  the  care  required  in  its  preparation. 

Agriculture  is  carried  to  a  high  degree  of  perfec- 
tion among  the  Chinese.  They  can  probably  pro- 
duce more  from  a  piece  of  land  of  given  size,  than 
any  other  people  on  earth.  Their  implements  are 
simple  and  primitive.  The  plough  consists  of  a  hori- 
zontal beam  mortised  into  another,  at  an  angle  of 
about  forty -five  degrees.  The  latter  is  a  little  sharp- 
ened at  the  point,  where  it  meets  the  ground,  and 
the  upper  end  is  tapered  and  slightly  curved  into  a 
single  handle.  This  is  held  by  one  hand,  and  in  the 
other  is  a  cord  attached  to  the  nose  of  the  ox  that 
is  geared  to  the  plough  by  rope  traces,  and  a  single- 
tree. In  the  soft  land  about  Shanghai  no  iron  plough- 
share or  blade  is  required  ;  but  such  are  doubtless  used 
in  other  parts  of  the  country,  where  the  soil  is  more 
difficult  to  break  up.  The  harrow  and  hoe  are  quite 
similar  to  ours. 

There  are  two  distinct  varieties  of  cattle.  One  is  a 
large,  clumsy,  ugly  animal,  and  has  almost  as  little 
hair  as  an  elephant,  which  it  also  much  resembles  in 
color.  Its  horns  are  somewhat  like  those  of  the  buf- 
falo :   hence  it   is  called  by  foreign  residents  the 

7* 


154:  FIVE   YEARS   IN   CHINA. 

"  Buffalo-ox."  But  its  native  name  signifies  "  Water- 
ox,"  given  from  its  exceeding  fondness  of  the  water ; 
in  which  it  will  remain  for  hours  entirely  submerged, 
except  its  nose.  It  is  a  vicious  animal,  and  can  be 
held  only  by  a  strong  cord  passed  through  the  divid- 
ing cartilage  between  the  nostrils.  The  other  variety 
— the  "  yellow  ox,"  is  much  smaller,  being  not  more 
than  three  and  a  half  feet  in  height,  while  the  other 
is  four  and  a  half.  It  is  neatly  and  symmetrically 
formed,  has  slender,  well  shaped  legs,  and  a  cartila- 
ginous protuberance,  covered  with  long  hair,  on  the 
top  of  the  neck,  about  midway  between  the  shoulders 
and  horns  ;  the  latter  are  short  and  blunt,  and  bear 
the  appearance  of  having  been  broken  off — being  but 
about  four  inches  in  length.  It  is  generally  bay,  but 
sometimes  of  various  colors,  like  the  cattle  of  our 
own  country,  and  its  hair  is  short,  thick,  soft,  and 
glossy.  As  there  are  no  fences  nor  hedges  between 
adjacent  fields  and  farms,  the  cattle  must  always  be 
tethered,  when  allowed  to  feed  about  the  grave 
mounds,  or  by  the  public  path-sides,  which  constitute 
their  principal  public  grazing  grounds.  But  very 
few  of  them  are  raised,  because  they  are  only  needed 
for  ploughing  and  harrowing ;  and  as  the  amount  of 
land  owned  by  one  family  is  at  most  but  small — 
often  not  being  more  than  an  acre,  and  even  less — one 
ox  can  do  the  work  of  a  half  dozen  farmers,  and  they 
share  his  support  among  them.  The  mills  also,  for 
grinding  cotton  or  other  seed  for  oil,  or  the  grains  for 
flour,  are  turned  mostly  by  these  oxen,  working 
singly,  like  a  horse  in  a  bark-mill  in  our  own  country. 
There,  is  no  water-power  near  Shanghai  for  these 
mills ;  but  I  saw  one  thus  turned  on  a  hill-side  during  a 


AGRICULTURE.  155 

trip  to  Nanking,  about  two  hundred  miles  from  the  sea. 
The  few  cattle  are  fed  during  winter  on  cakes  of  ground 
cotton-seed  from  which  the  oil  has  been  expressed. 

In  the  cultivation  of  rice,  a  small  patch,  of  perhaps 
forty  or  fifty  feet  square,  is  sown  with  the  seed  as 
thickly  as  it  can  possibly  grow.  •  When  about  s'x 
inches  high  it  is  pulled  up  in  handfuls,  which  are 
tied  by  a  wisp  of  grass  or  straw,  into  bundles.  These 
are  carried  in  large  two-handled  baskets  to  the  field, 
which  has  been  prepared,  by  being  well  broken  up 
and  overflowed  with  water,  which  remains  upon  it  to 
the  depth  of  five  or  six  inches.  The  bunches  of  rice 
seedlings  are  then  scattered  all  over  the  field  ;  and 
from  six  to  twelve  men  begin  at  one  end  of  it,  pick- 
ing up  the  bunches  as  they  come  to  them,  and  then 
detaching  a  single  root  at  a  time,  transplant  them 
one  by  one,  six  inches  apart,  till  the  whole  field  is 
stocked.  Thus  every  stalk  of  rice  in  the  empire 
passes  through  human  fingers. 

The  mode  of  cultivating  most  other  vegetables  is 
so  nearly  similar  to  our  own  as  not  to  require  special 
description,  except  perhaps  to  say,  that  more  care  is 
used  in  the  preparation  of  the  soil,  and  that  it  is  far 
more  highly  manured  than  among  us.  Guano  has 
been  brought  from  South  America,  and  its  extraor- 
dinary virtues  have  been  set  forth,  in  advertisements 
posted  up  in  public  places,  and  circulated  among  the 
people.  The  experiment  is  still  in  the  bud,  but  it 
never  can  supersede  such  ordures  as  are  now  in 
universal  use  throughout  the  empire,  though  it  may 
be  introduced  and  extensively  used,  The  present 
mode  of  manuring,  and  collecting  manure,  is  disgust- 
ing and  loathsome  to  the  last  degree,    Every  field 


156  FIVE  YEARS   IN  CHINA 

has  its  large  open  vat,  or  else  an  enormous  jar  of 
coarse  earthenware,  partly  sunken  in  the  ground,  into 
which  the  large  buckets  of  human  filth,  purchased 
from  the  owners  of  the  public  sinks  in  the  city,  are 
emptied.  It  is  then  diluted  by  the  addition  of  water, 
and  thrown  over  the  field  or  garden  with  long- 
handled  wooden  dippers,  filling  the  air  with  the  most 
intolerable  odors.  The  result,  however,  is  seen  in  the 
amazing  luxuriance  of  these  fields  and  vegetable  gar- 
dens, and  the  wonderful  productiveness  thus  imparted. 

You  may  occasionally  see  a  raft  or  large  shallow 
box  of  well  fitted  plank,  some  twelve  or  fifteen 
feet  square,  having  sides  about  six  inches  high. 
It  is  filled  with  earth,  and  is  afloat  on  the  waters 
of  the  creek,  river,  canal  or  lake  ;  and  its  contracted 
space  is  so  carefully  and  economically  cultivated 
that  it  well-nigh,  if  not  entirely,  supplies  all  the 
vegetables  used  by  the  family  who  own  this  floating 
garden,  either  attached  to  their  floating  dwelling — 
their  boat,  or  moored  near  the  shore. 

Fuel  is  scarce  and  expensive.  Wood  is  brought  in 
bundles,  each  containing  about  an  armful,  down  from 
the  far  interior  on  boats,  and  sold  to  wholesale  deal- 
ers. These  bundles  are  then  divided  into  smaller 
ones,  of  various  sizes,  in  the  retail  shops,  where  you 
can  buy  a  pound,  or  a  half  pound,  if  you  like.  It  is 
sold  by  weight.  So  also  is  coal,  which  is  found  here 
in  both  varieties — anthracite  and  bituminous,  brought 
from  distant  mines.  Besides  these,  the  natives  col- 
lect, dry,  and  preserve  for  fuel,  whatever  will  bum, 
if  it  be  not  more  valuable  for  some  other  purpose. 
The  tall  weeds  that  grow  abundantly  on  the  banks  of 
canals,  rivers,  and  pools — those  also  that  are  found  in 


FUEL.  157 

burial-grounds  and  along  way-sides — bushes,  vines, 
grass,  and  straw,  all  are  carefully  gathered  in  autumn, 
and  laid  away  for  cooking  during  the  winter. 

Certain  preparations  of  mineral  coal  and  charcoal, 
coarsely  powdered,  are  mixed  with  water  and  some 
adhesive  substance,  then  formed  by  the  hand  or 
molded  into  small  balls,  and  dried,  to  be  sold  for 
burning  in  hand-stoves  and  foot-stoves.  These  are 
made  of  brass  or  copper,  polished,  and  have  covers 
wrought  in  fanciful  open-work.  They  are  half-filled 
with  ashes.  One  of  the  combustible  balls  is  then  ig- 
nited by  being  placed  in  a  fire  for  a  few  moments. 
It  is  then  transferred  to  the  copper  foot-stool,  and  is 
covered  with  the  ashes.  It  will  there  impart  sufficient 
heat  to  keep  the  feet  warm  for  a  whole  day,  before  it 
is  entirely  consumed.  The  small  balls  for  the  hand- 
stoves  cost  one  coin — the  larger  ones,  two.  This  is 
the  only  fuel  I  have  ever  seen  used  by  the  people 
generally,  expressly  for  warming  themselves.  Of 
course,  whenever  a  fire  is  required  for  cooking,  or  any 
other  purpose,  they  also  avail  themselves  of  the  op- 
portunity ;  but  so  soon  as  the  process  is  finished — 
cooking,  for  example — they  instantly  extinguish  the 
fire.  If  it  be  in  the  winter  season,  they  often  trans- 
fer the  glowing  embers  to  an  earthen  pan,  and  place 
it  under  a  crib  made  of  straw,  twisted  and  fastened, 
as  we  have  seen  bee-hives — the  lower  part  being 
made  clQse  so  as  to  retain  the  heat,  which  would  com- 
municate warmth  to  the  infant  in  the  upper.  It  has 
been  stated  to  me  that  in  the  more  northern  parts  of 
the  country,  where  the  winters  are  longer,  and  the 
cold  intense,  beds  for  adults  as  well  as  children  are 
constructed  over  ovens,  for  this  same  purpose. 


158  FIVE   YEARS   IN   CHINA. 

The  bamboo  forms  beautiful  groves  for  ornament 
and  shade  ;  the  sprout,  before  it  appears  above  the 
ground,  is  an  excellent  article  of  food.  It  alwajTs 
attains  its  full  size  in  one  year,  for  it  grows  with 
amazing  rapidity.  I  measured  one  in  my  own  yard, 
and  found  it  had  grown  eighteen  inches  in  twenty- 
four  hours.  It  then  supplies  material  for  an  immense 
variety  of  uses ;  for  it  grows  much  larger  than  the 
cane  in  our  own  country,  with  which  it  is  identical — 
being  often  six  inches  in  diameter,  and  then  forming, 
with  its  natural  joints,  for  the  bottom,  small  buckets, 
cups,  and  boxes,  without  number.  It  furnishes  han- 
dles for  hoes,  rakes,  shovels,  brooms,  and  poles  for 
every  purpose  for  which  they  can  be  required.  Of 
it,  chairs,  tables,  bedsteads,  settees,  baskets,  pipes, 
musical  instruments,  and  an  innumerable  variety  of 
other  articles  are  made.  It  is  almost  as  indispensable 
to  the  Chinese  as  iron  itself.  In  some  parts  of  the 
country  I  have  seen  the  entire  frame  of  the  cottages 
of  the  poor  made  of  the  bamboo,  while,  splintered,  it 
is  woven  into  mats  and  screens,  and  twisted  into 
ropes. 

The  frame  of  the  sedan,  about  two  and  a  half  feet 
square,  by  five  in  height,  as  well  as  the  poles,  fifteen 
feet  long,  attached  to  its  sides,  two  feet  from  the  bot- 
tom, and  by  which  it  is  borne  along,  are  made  of  this 
cheap,  strong,  and  universal  substitute  for  wood. 
The  common  sedan  is  covered  with  coarse  blue  cotton 
cloth  ;  the  finer  ones,  of  blue  or  brown  broadcloth, 
which  is  protected  from  the  rain  by  an  outer  cover- 
ing of  oiled  silk  or  cotton.  They  are  lined  with  silk, 
and  have  a  large  pane  of  glass  on  every  side,  at  a 
convenient  height  above  the  seat,  to  allow  the  person 


SEDANS.  159 

riding  to  look  out  in  all  directions.  They  are  pro- 
vided with  curtains,  so  that  you  may  be  entirely 
screened  from  the  view  of  persons  without  if  you  de- 
sire it.  There  is  a  set  of  blinds  belonging  to  it  for 
use  in  summer,  when  the  glass  windows  are  taken 
out.  Two  is  the  ordinary  number  of  bearers,  and  of 
course,  the  least  that  can  be  required  ;  but  an  officer 
of  a  certain  grade  may  have  four,  and  so  they  may 
increase,  according  to  rank,  to  eight,  sixteen,  and 
twenty-four  ;  none  but  the  emperor  may  be  borne  by 
thirty-two. 

In  funeral  processions,  many  of  the  near  relatives  of 
the  deceased,  particularly  the  females,  are  borne  in 
sedans,  which  have  long  wide  strips  of  coarse  white 
cotton  cloth  thrown  over  them,  while  narrower  pieces 
of  the  same  material  are  bound  around  the  heads  of 
the  mourners.  All  the  members  of  his  immediate 
family  are  dressed  entirely  in  white — the  sons  wear- 
ing long  garments  of  coarse  bagging — "  sackcloth  " — 
confined  about  the  waist  by  a  rope  of  twisted  straw, 
and  having  the  borders  ravelled  and  torn.  If  the 
residence  be  within  the  walls  of  the  city,  the  sons, 
proceeding  in  front  of  the  coffin,  must  walk  back- 
ward, with  their  faces  toward  it,  till  it  has  passed  the 
gates.  The  females  are  expected  to  indulge  in  loud 
lamentations  along  the  whole  way,  and  at  the  grave  ; 
but  the  hiales  must  maintain  a  dignified  composure 
of  deportment  throughout  the  entire  ceremonies ;  it 
would  be  highly  indecorous  for  them  to  weep.  At 
the  grave,  the  position  for  the  coffin  having  been 
minutely  pointed  out  by  the  geomancer,  many  small 
cups  of  wine  and  tea,  and  dishes  containing  various 
meats,  vegetables,  and  fruits,  are  placed,  three  in  a 


1  FIVE  YEAES   IN  CHINA. 

row,  at  the  head  of  the  coffin  ;  wax  candles,  incense- 
sticks,  and  gilt  paper  are  lighted — all  as  offerings  to 
the  spirit  of  the  deceased.  The  relations  then  pros- 
trate themselves,  worshipping  his  spirit,  the  females 
loudly  wailing,  while  a  horrible  din  of  musical  instru- 
ments accompanies  their  dismal  howlings. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

FEAST  OF   LANTERNS — FAMINE — FUNEEAL   RITES. 

Tower  of  Lanterns — Fireworks — The  "  Dragon  Lantern  " — Origin  of 
the  Holiday — Superstitious  Practices  on  that  Day — Arrival  of  ray 
Colleague  at  Shanghai — Famine — Extreme  Suffering — Charity  of 
Foreign  Merchants — Worship  of  Ancestors — Rites  for  the  Dead — 
Modes  of  burial — Ancient  Tombs — "  Mass  for  the  Dead  " — Change 
of  Residence. 

The  middle  of  the  first  moon  of  the  Chinese  year  is 
always  quite  a  holiday  with  that  people,  chiefly  be- 
cause the  so-called  "  Feast  of  Lanterns  "  is  celebrated 
on  this  day.  But  the  term  "  feast  "  is  rather  a  mis- 
nomer as  applied  to  this  occasion,  and  is  apt  to  con- 
vey an  erroneous  impression  of  its  character ;  for  so 
far  as  eating  and  drinking  are  concerned,  it  differs 
nothing  from  ordinary  days.  Its  distinguishing  fea- 
ture consists  in  the  display  of  the  common  oiled-paper 
lanterns  in  great  numbers,  suspended  in  front  of 
shops  and  dwellings  along  the  streets,  in  the  temples, 
and  from  poles  erected  for  that  purpose.  Ornament- 
al glass  and  paper  lanterns  are  also  used  by  those 
who  can  afford  the  expense.  The  tower  of  lanterns 
is  the  most  showy  object  of  the  evening.  This  con- 
sists of  a  pole  some  forty  or  fifty  feet  in  height,  sur- 
rounded by  a  slender  frame-work  of  cords  and  sticks 
of  bamboo,  so  arranged  as  to  form  five,  seven,  nine, 
eleven,  or  thirteen  stories,  three  or  four  feet  apart — 


162  FIVE  YEARS   IN   CHINA. 

always  odd  numbers,  and  seldom  less  than  five  or 
more  than  thirteen ;  though  I  have  seen  as  many  as 
seventeen.  The  bamboo  sticks  are  tied  together  at 
the  ends  in  pairs,  three  of  which  are  stretched  apart 
and  placed  across  each  other,  so  as  to  give  a  star-shaped 
hexagon.  This  frame  forms  one  story  of  the  tower 
or  pagoda,  and  a  lantern  is  suspended  from  each  of 
its  corners.  Small  red  wax  candles  are  put  in  the 
lanterns  on  the  ground,  and  as  all  composing  each 
successive  story  are  lighted,  it  is  drawn  up  by  means 
of  a  pulley-like  arrangement  at  the  top  until  the 
whole  is  completed.  High  above  all  is  a  bamboo  pole 
about  ten  feet  long,  suspended  horizontally  across  the 
top,  with  from  two  to  nine  lanterns  dangling  from  it. 
When  all  are  lighted,  the  sight  is  a  very  pretty  one, 
but  the  effect  is  greatly  diminished  by  the,  fact  that 
it  is  always  at  the  time  of  full  moon.  These  lantern 
towers  are  very  numerous,  and  may  be  seen  in  every 
direction  for  several  nights  preceding  and  following 
the  middle  of  the  month. 

There  is  always  a  plentiful  display  of  the  usual 
fireworks  on  the  occasion,  especially  in  the  Ching 
wong  miau — city  guardian's  temple — which  is  dense- 
ly thronged.  These  consist  of  fire  crackers,  "  double- 
headers,"  "  Eoman  candles,"  squibs,  rockets,  "  flower 
pots,"  etc.,  all  of  which,  excepting  the  two  first 
named,  are  far  inferior  to  the  pyrotechnic  displays  in 
the  United  States.  A  "  dragon  lantern  "  is  paraded 
about  the  streets  on  this  and  other  occasions.  It  is 
composed  of  a  number  of  cylinders  of  bamboo  hoops 
covered  with  thin  paper,  with  places  for  candles 
inside.  The  head  is  of  the  same  material,  and  is 
shaped  like  that  of  an  enormous  dragon,  with  glaring 


FEAST  OF  LANTERNS.  163 

eyes,  and  its  huge  jaws  widely  distended,  ready  to 
seize  a  large  round  ball  which  is  carried  just  before 
it,  and  is  also  a  bamboo  frame  work  covered  with 
paper.  Each  cylinder,  being  about  the  size  of  a  large 
barrel,  forms  a  joint  of  the  dragon's  body,  and  is  car- 
ried by  a  man  on  a  stick  a  few  feet  above  his  head ; 
so  that  when  the  candles  are  lighted,  and  the  proces- 
sion moves,  it  has  the  appearance  of  a  hideous  dragon 
pursuing  the  luminous  ball.  A  flexible  motion  like 
that  of  a  serpent,  is  communicated  by  the  men  wav- 
ing the  paper  cylinders  as  they  carry  them  along. 
It  has  been  suggested  that  the  idea  had  its  origin  in 
the  Chinese  theory  of  eclipses,  which  is,  that  a  dragon 
is  eating  the  sun  or  moon,  and  they  frighten  him  away 
by  the  terrific  noise  of  gongs,  drums,  horns,  cymbals, 
etc.  A  plentiful  supply  of  this  music  accompanies 
the  procession,  with  a  chorus  of  shouts  from  the  men 
and  boys  composing  it. 

The  Feast  of  Lanterns  originated  about  a.d.  627, 
during  the  reign  of  Tait-sung,  second  emperor  of  the 
Tang  dynasty.  It  seems  that  in  the  Imperial  city, 
all  persons  were  prohibited  from  perambulating  the 
streets  after  a  certain  hour  at  night.  But  affairs  be- 
ing prosperous,  and  universal  tranquillity  pervading 
his  dominions,  this  emperor  directed  the  chief  of  the 
night  police  to  withdraw  the  prohibition  for  this 
night — the  15th  of  the  first  month.  Whereupon  the 
people  made  it  an  occasion  of  great  rejoicing,  passing 
the  whole  night  in  going  about  with  lanterns,  and 
engaging  in  such  amusements  as  they  pleased.  So  it 
has  been  handed  down  through  twelve  hundred  years 
to  the  present  time. 

The  people  have  a  number  of  silly  superstitions 


164  FIVE  TEAKS  IN  CHINA. 

associated  with   this  night,  though  in  no  way  con- 
nected with  the  feast  of  lanterns. 

Those  living  in  the  country  set  fire  to  the  stubble 
of  the  grass  left  on  the  grave-mounds  from  last  year's 
cutting  of  fuel,  and  allow  it  to  spread  in  all  directions, 
till  it  ceases  of  its  own  accord.  This,  they  say,  is  to 
burn  up  any  evil  influences  that  may  exist,  and  who- 
ever sees  the  stubble  burning  will  thereby  insure 
themselves  a  wholesome  condition  of  body  for  the 
year. 

The  country  people  also  on  this  night  eat  bean 
curds,  and  vermicelli  in  its  long  unbroken  state — the 
former  typifying  cotton,  and  the  latter  the  cords  used 
for  binding  together  the  large  round  baskets  contain- 
ing it.  They  do  this  that  they  may  realize  an  abun- 
dant crop  of  cotton  during  the  season. 

They  also  eat  round  balls  of  rice  flour,  in  the  mid- 
dle of  which  are  small  quantities  of  meat,  vegetables 
and  confections ;  believing  that,  having  eaten  these, 
should  they  chance  during  the  year  to  swallow  a  bit 
of  bristle  while  eating  pork,  it  will  not  hurt  them. 
It  is  to  be  observed  they  ascribe  a  certain  disease 
among  them  to  a  pig's  bristle  lodged,  as  they  imagine, 
in  some  corner  of  the  intestines.  These  rice  balls  are 
also  placed  as  propitiatory  offerings  before  the  kitchen 
god,  which  is  supposed  to  descend  from  heaven  on 
this  day,  and  take  his  accustomed  place  over  the 
cooking  range — having  been  absent  since  the  23d  of 
the  last  month,  on  his  annual  mission  to  his  superior 
deity,  to  render  up  his  account  of  the  family  during 
the  year  just  closed. 

Another  superstitious  notion  is,  that  if  a  person 
crosses  three  bridges  on  this  evening,  he  will,  by  so 


FEAST   OF  LANTEKNS.  165 

doing,  secure  vigorous  health  for  the  year  just  com- 
menced. 

There  is  yet  another  practice  equally  absurd  with 
the  foregoing,  observed  by  some,  as  follows :  An 
individual  goes  out  of  his  house  about  midnight,  and 
the  first  sentence  he  may  chance  to  hear  uttered  by 
any  person  passing,  or  one  or  two  conversing  as 
they  walk  along,  he  considers  as  indicative  of  his  own 
fortune  for  the  year.  If  he  finds  no  one  in  the  street, 
he  goes  from  door  to  door  of  his  neighbors'  dwellings 
or  shops,  until  he  hears  some  one  talking,  and  the 
first  sentence  that  he  catches  in  this  way  he  regards 
as  prophetic.  Should  it  be  one  in  which  happiness, 
health,  or  prosperity  of  any  kind  are  named  or  alluded 
to,  he  returns  home  with  a  glad  heart,  imagining 
these  will  be  his  lot.  But  if,  on  the  contrary,  mis- 
fortune, sickness,  or  death,  are  mentioned,  he  is  filled 
with  gloomy  forebodings  for  the  future. 

My  colleague,  Rev.  B.  Jenkins,  with  his  family, 
arrived  at  Shanghai  in  May,  having  been  delayed  at 
Hong  Kong  by  the  illness  of  his  wife,  and  by  adverse 
winds,  for  about  nine  months.  During  that  time,  they 
had  made  two  attempts  to  come  up  the  coast,  but  in 
both,  had  encountered  terrible  typhoons,  and  narrow- 
ly escaping  shipwreck,  were  compelled  to  put  back  to 
Hong  Kong. 

My  journal,  under  date  of  July  12,  1849,  says : 
The  present  season  has  been  a  very  remarkable  one 
for  the  long  continuance  of  heavy  rains  which  threat- 
en to  cut  off  the  rice  crops  in  all  this  region  for  hun- 
dreds of  miles  around.  Nothing  of  the  like  has  been 
experienced  for  twenty-six  years  before,  and  the 
mandarins  have  proclaimed  fasts,  during  which  no 


166  FIVE   TEAKS  IN   CHINA. 

flesh  is  to  be  eaten,  and  the  people  are  exhorted  to 
repair  to  the  temples  and  pray  the  gods  to  avert  their 
anger,  for  they  believe  their  deities  are  displeased, 
and  they  assign  this  as  the  cause  of  the  great  rains. 
Certain  it  is,  a  famine  is  threatened,  and  unless  a 
change  takes  place  soon,  thousands  must  perish  from 
starvation  before  the  close  of  the  year.  Little  can  be 
done  by  human  aid  to  prevent  this,  but  there  is  a  yet 
more  alarming  destitution  of  the  bread  of  life,  which 
it  is  within  the  province  of  human  agency  to  relieve, 
since  it  has  pleased  the  Great  Head  of  the  Church  to 
use  man  as  the  instrument  for  the  conversion  of  his 
fellow- man. 

Oct.  2Zd. — The  long  spring  rains  did  not  cease  till 
the  middle  of  July.  The  consequence  of  these  rains 
has  been  the  total  destruction  of  the  rice  and  cotton 
crops  in  large  portions  of  the  country,  and  the  pro- 
duction of  distress  among  the  population  amounting 
to  a  famine  in  many  places.  The  price  of  rice  has 
doubled,  and  very  heavy  shipments  of  it  are  coming 
in  from  Manilla,  Batavia,  and  Canton.  It  is  said  that 
in  some  parts  of  the  country  many  of  the  inhabitants 
have  been  driven  by  necessity  to  eat  the  leaves  and 
bark  of  trees,  the  chaff  of  rice,  and  such  food  as  in 
ordinary  times  they  give  only  to  pigs  and  dogs.  Not- 
withstanding this,  great  numbers  have  died  of  starva- 
tion— how  many,  it  is  impossible  to  compute.  The 
wretchedness  that  we  have  been  witnessing  daily  for 
the  last  two  months  is  heart-sickening.  "Whether 
attracted  by  the  wealth,  or  their  opinion  of  the  chari- 
table feelings  of  foreigners,  I  know  not,  but  thousands 
of  the  suffering  poor  from  the  neighboring  cities, 
towns,  villages,  and  surrounding  country,  have  flocked 


FAMINE.  167 

to  Shanghai  for  relief.  A  subscription,  amounting  to 
several  hundreds  of  dollars,  was  very  promptly  raised 
by  the  foreign  community,  and  a  number  of  large 
soup  establishments  were  opened  in  different  sections 
of  the  city,  for  the  gratuitous  supply  of  rice  soup,  or 
congee,  to  the  poor,  upon  the  presentation  of  tickets, 
which  are  numerously  distributed  every  day.  I 
have  seen,  on  going  out  in  the  morning,  as  many  as 
a  hundred  at  my  gate,  begging  most  piteously  for 
food. 

The  number  of  beggars  who  have  died  in  the 
streets  of  Shanghai  during  the  past  year,  is  over  four 
hundred.  I  have,  on  several  occasions,  seen  three 
persons  lying  dead  at  one  time,  within  a  hundred 
yards  of  each  other  ;  and  you  can  scarcely  ever  walk 
through  the  city  without  seeing  one  or  more.  Many 
of  these  wretched  beings  hasten  their  death  by  smok- 
ing opium,  and  I  have  known  them  to  give  what  few 
cash  they  had  begged  during  a  whole  day,  for  a  pipe 
of  this  destructive  article,  when  at  the  same  moment 
they  seemed  to  be  actually  starving  for  want  of  food — 
with  such  a  deadly  grasp  does  this  pernicious  habit 
hold  its  victims.  The  beggars,  from  their  great  num- 
bers, find  it  exceedingly  difficult  to  get  a  shelter  of  any 
kind  from  the  rain,  and  some  have  been  seen  to  crawl 
into  graves  that  have  been  built  of  brick  partly  above 
ground,  in  a  semi-cylindrical  form,  one  end  of  the 
arch  having  fallen  down ;  and  there  would  they 
sleep,  the  living  among  the  dead,  after  removing  the 
bones  of  the  original  tenant  to  the  further  end  of  the 
vault.  We  hope,  however,  that  this  distress  will  soon 
have  an  end,  for  the  spring  vegetables  are  now  appear- 
ing in  great  abundance,  and  the  fields  are  teeming 


168  FIVE  TEARS   IN   CHINA. 

with  heavy  crops  of  grain.  This  physical  suffering 
does  but  faintly  shadow  forth  the  moral  destitution  of 
these  millions  of  immortal  souls  perishing  for  lack  of 
knowledge. 

A  feeling  of  impatience  sometimes  arises,  that  my 
ignorance  of  the  language  must  delay  me  for  so  long 
a  time  in  explaining  fully  and  intelligibly  to  the 
thousands  of  degraded  heathen  at  my  very  door,  the 
only  way  of  salvation  through  faith  in  a  crucified 
Saviour.  Yet  it  is  a  heartfelt  satisfaction  to  be  able 
to  utter,  even  in  broken  accents,  some  p]ain  and  sim- 
ple truths,  and  to  find  that  my  meaning  is  compre- 
hended, when  declaring  the  uselessness  and  absurdity 
of  worshipping  images  of  wood,  and  stone,  and  paper, 
and  brass,  and  iron;  and  recommending  the  God 
of  the  Bible  as  the  only  Being  deserving  Divine 
honors. 

The  Chinese  are  even  more  strongly  wedded  to  the 
worship  of  ancestors,  than  to  that  of  idols.  A  few 
evenings  since,  as  I  was  passing  one  of  the  streets 
near  my  residence,  a  confused  din  of  what  the  natives 
call  musical  instruments,  attracted  my  notice  to  the 
dwelling  from  which  it  proceeded.  A  }'0uth  had  just 
burned  a  house  of  straw,  about  two  feet  square,  and 
some  gilt  paper  representing  money,  with  the  firm 
belief  that  his  grandfather  in  the  spirit  land  immedi- 
ately received  them  in  the  form  of  a  substantial  habi- 
tation and  real  coin.  Entering  the  place  through  a 
narrow  passage,  I  met  the  present  master  of  the 
family — a  son  of  the  deceased — who  very  politely 
invited  me  to  be  seated,  having  a  chair  at  the  same 
time  placed  for  me,  and  offered  me  a  tea  cup  of  a 
beverage   like   hot  sweetened   water.      I   took   and 


FUNERAL   RITES.  169 

sipped  it,  and  in  a  few  minutes  he  beckoned  me  to 
follow  him,  while  he  led  the  way  into  an  inner  room, 
where  was  a  table,  three  feet  square,  spread  with  a 
great  variety  of  Chinese  dainties  on  small  dishes. 
Behind  the  table  was  a  white  curtain  extending  across 
the  room,  which  he  lifted  up,  showing  me  two  coffins 
of  the  peculiar  construction  common  in  this  country, 
made  of  pieces  of  wood  from  four  to  six  inches  thick, 
very  tightly  fitted,  and  so  fastened  together  with 
wooden  pins  as  to  form  a  thick,  heavy  plank.  This 
gives  the  coffin  a  very  clumsy  appearance,  but  they 
are  so  cemented  inside  and  out,  that  they  are  very 
durable,  and  so  perfectly  air-tight,  that,  although 
kept,  containing  the  body  of  the  deceased,  in  the  very 
apartments  occupied  by  the  family,  no  unpleasant 
odor  is  ever  perceived.  The  two  before  me  were 
painted  and  varnished  of  a  reddish  brown — the  usual 
color — and  ornamented  with  gilt  figures  on  the  larger 
end,  toward  which  the  head  is  placed.  If  the  indi- 
vidual dying  and  coffined  in  this  manner,  leave  a  wife 
or  husband,  when  the  survivor  dies,  the  two  are  car- 
ried out  and  buried  in  the  same  grave,  which  is  dug 
about  three  feet,  and  walled  up  on  the  sides  and  ends 
in  the  most  substantial  way  to  the  same  height  above 
ground,  covered  with  a  roof  resembling  that  of  a  house, 
and  plastered  with  excellent  lime.  Sometimes  the  ma- 
son-work is  not  continued  much  above  the  level  of  the 
earth,  and  the  soil  thrown  over  the  whole,  forming  a 
mound  from  three  to  twelve  feet  high.  The  modes 
of  burial  are  very  different,  according  to  the  wealth 
and  rank  of  the  individual.  Beggars,  who  die  in  the 
streets,  are  put  into  rudely  made  boxes  of  thin  rough 
plank,  and  deposited  at  public  expense,  in  a  kind  of 
8 


170  FIVE  TEAKS   IN  CHINA. 

"  Potter's  Field,"  before  described.     Those  who  are 
a  step  or  two  above  these  in  life,  but  do  not  beg  for 
a  livelihood,  can  place  their  dead,  free  of  expense,  in 
a  public  cemetery.     They  will  suffer  almost  any  in- 
convenience, however,  rather  than  do  this,  for  it  is 
considered  very  disreputable,  and  a  man  would  sub- 
ject himself  to  the  most  galling  reproaches  from  his 
friends  and  relatives,  who  thus  disposed  of  his  dead. 
They  will  rather  keep  the  coffin  with  its  tenant  in  the 
same  apartments  in  which  they  eat,  and  drink,  and 
sleep  for  years,  until  they  can  accumulate  a  suffi- 
cient amount  to  buy  a  piece  of  land  large  enough  for 
a  grave,  or  they  will  hire  a  spot  on  which  to  set  the 
coffin  for  one  or  two  hundred  copper  "  cash" — ten  or 
twelve  cents — a  year,  until  such  time  as  they  are  able 
to  purchase.     Hence  you  will  see  great  numbers  of 
these  receptacles  for  the  dead  all  over  the  country, 
either  entirely  exposed,  or  bound  about  with  straw 
and  mats,  to  protect  them  from  the  effects  of  the 
weather.     Many  remain  thus  unburied  till  they  fall 
to   pieces  from  decay,  leaving  the   skeleton  wholly 
exposed  to  view.     The  bones  are  then  put  into  an 
earthen  jar  by  the  relatives  of  the  person,  if  there 
be  any  living,  who  become  acquainted  with  the  fact. 
Otherwise  such,  relics  are  collected  at  the  annual  sea- 
son for  worshipping  ancestors,  by  persons  employed 
for  that  purpose  by  the  native  authorities,  and  placed 
in  the  public  cemetery  before  mentioned.     Such  is  the 
regard  for  the  dead  ;  and  taken  in  itself,  apart  from 
its  idolatrous  concomitants,  it  is  really  a  beautiful  and 
praiseworthy  feature  in  their  superstitions. 

Tombs  built  of  stone  or  brick  in  the  horse-shoe 
form,  so  common  further  to  the  south,  are  not  found 


FUNERAL  RITES.  171 

here,  so  far,  at  least,  as  I  have  seen.  There  are  a  few 
sepulchres  of  mandarins  of  high  rank,  that  occupy 
nearly  an  acre  of  land.  At  one  end  of  the  space  is  an 
immense  semi-circle  of  earth,  thrown  up  to'the  height 
of  fifteen  or  twenty  feet,  and  just  within  this  is  a 
smaller  one  ;  then  in  the  centre  of  all,  a  mound  about 
four  feet  high,  of  conical  shape,  ovjer  the  spot  where 
the  body  was  buried.  In  front  of  this,  the  ground  is 
open  and  level,  affording  convenient  access  to  the 
place ;  and  some  thirty  or  forty  feet  in  advance  of 
the  extremities  of  the  semi-circles,  still  in  a  line  with 
them,  stand  two  figures  of  men,  twice  the  size  of  life, 
wearing  the  costume  of  the  Ming  dynasty,  during 
which  these  tombs  are  said  to  have  been  erected,  above 
two  hundred  years  ago.  These  two  personages  con- 
stitute the  guard  of  the  grave  and  its  occupant,  and 
are  assisted  in  their  duty  by  two  figures  of  lions, 
about  thirty  feet  still  further  in  front,  then  two  horses, 
ready  saddled  and  bridled,  for  the  use  of  the  departed 
spirit,  about  the  same  distance  further  still,  and  last 
of  all,  two  rams,  the  signification  of  which  I  have  not 
yet  learned.  These  are  all  of  hewn  stone,  and  stand 
facing  each  other  in  pairs.  In  some  instances  they 
have  fallen  prostrate  from  their  pedestals — the  foun- 
dation having  given  way — and  are  often  partly  or 
quite  imbedded  in  the  earth. 

There  may  also  be  seen  in  this  vicinity,  inclosures 
containing  from  a  sixth  of  an  acre  to  an  acre  of  land, 
filled  with  cedars  and  other  evergreens,  forming  a 
dense,  delightful  shade,  and  in  the  centre  is  a  simple 
mound  eight  or  ten  feet  high,  having  a  plain,  square 
well-hewn  stone,  placed  upright  in  the  earth  at  the 
•bottom,  like  grave-stones  in  the  United  States,  in- 


172  FIVE  YEARS  IN   CHINA. 

scribed  with  the  name  and  titles  of  the  dead.  Then 
a  beautiful  green  hedge  surrounds  the  whole.  Nearly 
all  the  graves,  especially  those  of  a  comparatively 
recent  date — of  the  common,  as  well  as  of  the  wealthy 
classes, — are  provided  with  these  tomb-stones,  the 
greater  number  of  which  are  unhewn,  having  simply 
the  names  of  the  individuals  carved  upon  them.  Yast 
numbers  of  these  graves  are  situated  side  by  side  as 
close  to  each  other  as  possible,  resembling  a  thickly 
peopled  graveyard  in  our  own  country. 

But  all  this  is  quite  a  digression  from  the  incident 
I  was  relating.  Adjoining  the  room  where  the  feast 
was  spread  for  the  spirit  of  the  departed,  was  a  thick, 
square,  brown  cloth,  smoothly  placed  upon  the  floor 
of  large,  square  tiles,  and  on  this  cloth,  rice  was  so 
strewn  as  to  form  various  figures  and  flowers,  all  sur- 
rounding a  small  idol  which  twelve  Tauist  priests  were 
worshipping,  three  on  each  side  of  the  square,  stand- 
ing with  their  faces  toward  it,  as  it  was  seated  in  the 
centre.  Eight  of  them  had  instruments  with  which 
they  produced  the  discordant  sounds  which  first  drew 
my  attention  to  the  spot.  Their  heads  were  closely 
shaven,  and  they  all  were  attired  in  long,  loose  robes, 
that  might  once  have  been  white,  the  middle  one  of 
each  trio  having,  in  addition  upon  his  back,  a  piece 
of  black  satin  a  foot  square,  richly  embroidered  with 
silk  and  gold.  These  four  also  wore  small,  square, 
black  caps,  and  one  of  them  who  seemed  to  be  chief, 
was  repeating  mummeries  that  as  strongly  resembled 
those  of  the  Roman  Catholics,  as  did  the  general  ap- 
pearance of  the  priests  that  of  the  Romish  clergy 
officiating  in  their  canonicals.  The  idol  represented 
the  god  of  the  lower  regions,  and  they  were  actually. 


^A 


FUNERAL  RITES.  173 

praying  the  man's  soul  out  of  purgatory  !  The  num- 
ber of  priests  officiating,  and  the  number  of  prayers 
offered,  are  proportioned  to  the  amount  paid  for  the 
purpose,  just  as  in  the  Church  of  Rome.  The  scene 
I  have  described  was  nothing  more  nor  less  than  a 
mass  for  the  dead.  Their  supplications  were  sus- 
pended at  short  intervals,  when  they  were  very 
affable  and  communicative,  and  as  I  took  the  li- 
berty of  remonstrating  against  such  absurdities,  they 
laughed  and  said  it  was  "Song-hay  "kway-teuP — 
"Shanghai  custom." 

This  is  but  one  manifestation  of  the  multiform 
superstitions  of  this  poor  benighted  people, — when 
will  they  learn  the  "  more  excellent  way  ?" 

My  journal  contains  the  following  entries,  made  in 
October : 

As  soon  as  it  could  be  procured,  I  purchased  a  plat 
of  ground  on  the  bank  of  the  Yang-king-pang,  near  a 
narrow  wooden  bridge.  It  is  from  a  quarter  to  a 
third  of  an  acre  in  extent,  and  I  have  built  a  small 
temporary  dwelling  upon  it,  in  which  my  little  family 
can  live  a  year  or  two,  and  even  longer  if  necessary. 
This  little  domicil  is  now  just  finished,  and  we  have 
moved  into  it.  Contracted  as  it  is,  it  will  be  more 
convenient  and  healthy  than  the  Chinese  house  we 
have  hitherto  occupied. 

Mrs.  T.  is  pleased  with  the  change.  Our  little  boy 
also  seems  to  breathe  new  life,  and  prattles  Chinese 
with  increased  vivacity,  as  you  would  soon  be  con- 
vinced if  you  were  sitting  with  me  in  my  study  at 
this  moment  and  listening  while  the  little  fellow 
strives  to  repeat  the  sounds  which  his  nurse  is  trying 
to  teach  him.     She  is  highly  delighted  to  find  that 


L^ 


174:  FIVE  YEARS  IN  CHINA. 

he  understands  and  pronounces  her  native  tongue 
with  greater  facility  than  ours,  and  diligently  im- 
proves the  advantage  she  has  gained,  by  giving  him 
lessons  every  day.  She  is  remarkably  fond  of  him, 
and  her  affection  is  so  warmly  reciprocated,  that  his 
mother  pretends  to  be  quite  jealous,  and  often  says 
the  child  loves  his  "  suug-sung  "  (nurse)  better  than 
he  does  herself. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

Passages  from  my  Journal — Birds — An  Old  Grave — A  Liberal  Allow- 
ance— Life  on  Boats — A  Drowned  Boy — Death  of  our  Babe — Rev. 
Dr.  Medhurst — A  Trip  into  the  Country — Monumental  Tablets — 
Preaching  and  Tract  Distribution — Death  of  the  Emperor  Tau- 
Kwang — "  Reason's  Glory  " — Accession  of  Hien-Foong — Triad 
Society — Ceremonies — Ranks  of  Mandarins — Sam-qua — Death  of 
Empress  Dowager — Beautiful  Sentiments. 

On  this  bright  seventeenth  day  of  October,  a  lovely 
month  in  China,  as  well  as  in  my  native  land,  I  sit  in 
my  study  with  my  old  teacher  by  my  side.    The  door 
is  open  toward  the  south,  and  the  meridian  sun  is 
now  beaming  in  upon  the  threshhold.     Just  in  front 
of  our  humble  dwelling,  only  fifteen  yards  off,  stands 
a  beautiful  little  grove  of  bamboos  waving  gracefully 
in  the  breeze.    A  loving  pair  of  doves  have  their  nest 
among  the  branches,  and  occasionally  entertain  us 
with  their  cooing,  while  numberless  little  sparrows, 
sporting  in  the  dense  foliage,  enliven  the  passing 
hours  with  their  sweet  chirping.     These  pretty  birds 
are  precisely  like  those  in  the  United  States  of  the 
same  names,  and  as  we  never  molest  them,  they  seem 
to  have  taken   up   their  permanent   abode   on  our 
premises,  for  a  bamboo  fence  ten  feet  high  protects 
them  from  molestation  from  without.     Yines  of  two 
or  three  varieties  are  trailing  luxuriantly  on  the  fence, 
covering  it  in  some  places  with  their  large  green 
leaves.     Within  the  inclosure  are  several  mounds  of 


L 


176  FIVE  YEARS   IN  CHINA. 

earth  over  tombs  constructed  in  the  most  substantial 
manner,  of  bricks  and  lime,  which  have  withstood 
the  ravages  of  time  for  centuries.  Having  occasion 
to  remove  some  of  these  we  found  a  tablet  in  one  or 
them,  fourteen  inches  square,  made  of  a  large  tile 
smoothly  planed  on  one  side,  and  marked  off  into 
square  spaces  in  which  were  written  characters  de- 
noting the  name,  age  and  several  other  particulars 
respecting  the  occupant,  which  could  be  but  indis- 
tinctly made  out  as  the  characters  were  mostly  oblite- 
rated. Those  designating  the  time  of  the  death  and 
burial  were  perfectly  legible,  and  showed  it  to  have 
been  during  the  Ming  dynasty,  above  two  hundred 
years  ago.  My  teacher  also  deciphered  others  which 
stated  that  ninety-nine  thousand  nine  hundred  and 
ninety-nine  pieces  of  paper  money  were  burned  on 
the  occasion,  for  the  use  of  the  departed  spirit.  Each 
of  these  pieces  represented  a  lump  of  sycee  silver 
worth  about  eighteen  dollars,  which  would  amount 
in  the  aggregate  to  $1,799,982  ; — quite  a  liberal  ap- 
propriation, when  you  consider  that  in  reality  the 
whole  cost  of  the  paper  money  was  only  $65,  at  the 
present  prices.  Why  this  particular  number  of 
pieces,  a  million,  minus  one,  the  old  man  was  unable 
to  inform  me. 

Our  little  house  stands  fronting  toward  the  south, 
in  a  bend  of  the  creek  on  which  the  lot  is  situated, 
and  the  water  sweeping  in  a  beautiful  curve  around 
the  spot,  presents,  at  high  tide,  quite  a  picturesque 
appearance.  Its  name,  "  Yang-Mng-pang"  signifies 
"ocean  flowing  stream,"  whether  because  it  flows 
toward  the  ocean,  or  its  waters  are  supplied  by  the 
ocean  I  am  unable  to  say.    The  banks  of  this  stream 


EXTRACTS  FROM  JOURNAL.  177 

are  lined  with  boats,  while  its  channel  is  alive  with 
others  passing  with  the  ebbing  and  flowing  tides. 
These  boats  are  for  the  most  part  the  only  dwellings 
of  the  families  they  contain,  and  in  addition  to  this 
you  will  often  see  one  end  of  the  boat  occupied  as  a 
workshop,  while  the  family  live  in  the  other.  I  have 
seen  mantua-making,  basket-making  and  the  manufac- 
tures of  brass  kettles  and  pans,  and  other  trades,  car- 
ried on  this  way.  The  central  portion  is  the  dormi- 
tory, between  the  shop  and  the  kitchen.  At  meal- 
time, the  men,  women  and  children  assemble  around 
a  large  dish  of  boiled  rice,  near  which  stands  a 
smaller  one  of  greens,  or  fish,  and  occasionally  some 
kind  of  meat.  Each  one  is  armed  with  a  small  bowd 
and  a  pair  of  chopsticks,  and  thus  equipped,  they 
commence  a  simultaneous  attack  upon  the  rice  and 
greens,  which  is  kept  up  with  great  vigor,  till  the 
heap  of  rice  falls  before  the  hungry  assailants.  The 
quantity  of  this  article  they  can  cram  into  one  stomach 
is  really  astonishing.  The  repast  is  usually  finished 
by  drinking  tea,  which,  among  this  class  of  people,  is 
most  frequently  served  up  in  a  tea-pot  passing  from 
mouth  to  mouth.  Sometimes,  however,  it  is  poured 
out  into  small  cups  or  bowls.  The  women  generally 
seem  disposed  to  be  cleanly  in  their  apparel  to  a  cer- 
tain extent,  and  especially  the  neatness  and  care  with 
which  they  always  comb  and  put  up  their  hair  is  very 
commendable.  Frequently  they  display  no  little 
taste  in  arranging  this  part  of  their  toilet,  as  they  sit 
in  their  boats. 

Last  Friday  we  were  attracted  to  the  window  by 
the  wailing  of  a  female,  and  on  looking  over  to  the 
opposite  side  of  the  creek,  we  saw  a  woman  standing 

8* 


178  FIVE  TEARS   IN  CHINA. 

on  the  bank  in  an  agony  of  grief,  as  she  pointed  to 
the  lifeless  body  of  her  child,  a  little  boy  about 
twelve  years  old,  lying  in  the  edge  of  the  water.  He 
had  fallen  from  their  boat  the  night  before,  and  the 
ebbing  tide  discovered  his  stiffened  corpse  to  his  dis- 
tracted mother,  some  hundred  yards  from  the  spot 
where  he  had  fallen  in.  She  bared  her  legs  to  the 
knees,  waded  down  the  muddy  bank  and  pulling  out 
the  body  of  her  son,  carried  it  in  her  arms  to  her 
boat,  uttering  all  along  the  most  heart-rending  lamen- 
tations. On  the  next  day  he  was  put  into  an  un- 
planed  pine  coffin  of  the  rudest  possible  construction, 
a  few  pieces  of  gilt  paper  were  burned  for  him,  and 
he  was  taken  away  to  burial ;  or  more  likely  to  be 
placed  on  the  surface  of  the  ground  without  a  hand- 
ful of  earth  to  cover  his  remains,  as  is  the  case  in 
numerous  instances.  On  this  occasion,  I  have  no 
doubt,  the  grief  was  deep  and  unfeigned  ;  but  I  have 
as  little,  that  in  many  others  which  I  have  witnessed, 
it  was  hollow  and  dissembled,  while  loud  moanings 
were  indulged  in,  merely  because  it  is  customary. 
But  the  loss  of  a  son  is  always  regarded  as  a  great 
calamity  ;  for  on  him  devolves  the  duty  of  performing 
the  funeral  obsequies  of  his  parents. 

On  the  24th  of  October,  our  own  dear  little  babe, 
aged  five  weeks  and  one  day,  was  transferred  from 
the  dark  land  of  China  to  the  bright  paradise  of 
God. 

One  morning,  a  few  days  ago  (says  my  journal), 
the  sun  was  shining  with  unwonted  brightness,  as  if 
striving  to  counteract  the  effect  of  "shrill  Novem- 
ber's surly  blast "  that  was  howling  around  our  little 
dwelling,  and  I  had  seated  myself  to  my  Chinese 


EXTRACTS  FROM  JOURNAL.  179 

studies  with  my  amiable  old  teacher  at  my  side, 
when  in  bustled  three  missionaries,  warmly  coated, 
capped  and  gloved.  "  Come,  Taylor,"  said  the  fore- 
most, a  robust  looking  man  of  fifty,  stoutly  built,  but 
well  proportioned,  and  somewhat  above  the  middle 
height,  having  expressive  blue  eyes,  that  looked 
through  a  pair  of  shell-rimmed  spectacles — a  full, 
high  forehead,  and  a  fine  head  altogether,  thinly 
covered  with  hair,  whose  original  light  brown  was  ren- 
dered still  lighter  by  the  frosty  touch  of  age — it  was 
the  Eev.  Dr.  Medhurst — "  Come,  Taylor,"  said  he,  in 
the  familiar  style  common  to  the  English  missionaries 
when  addressing  each  other,  "  put  on  your  great  coat 
and  boots — we've  come  to  press  you  into  service — our 
boat  is  all  ready  here  just  at  your  door,  and  we  want 
you  to  go  into  the  country  with  us ;  we  have  provided 
everything,  so  you  have  nothing  to  do  but  just  to 
come  along."  There  was  no  resisting  the  hearty 
warmth  of  this  off-hand  invitation,  so  I  ran  to  tell  my 
wife,  who  of  course  yielded  a  cheerful  acquiescence, 
and  soon  exchanging  my  morning  gown  and  slippers 
for  coat  and  boots,  we  set  off  together  in  his  mission 
boat.  The  weather  was  a  little  cold,  it  is  true,  but 
then  we  were  free  from  another  annoyance,  common 
in  this  low  rice-field  country — we  had  no  mosquitoes  ; 
and  of  the  two  discomforts,  for  my  own  part,  I  pre- 
fer the  former.  The  tide  had  reached  its  lowest 
point,  and  was  just  beginning  to  change  in  our  favor, 
when  our  four  boatmen — two  at  a  large  oar  in  the 
stern,  universally  in  use  among  the  Chinese  as  a 
"  scull,"  and  two  in  front,  or  to  speak  more  nauti- 
cally,  "in  the  bow,"  with  setting-poles,  began  to 
ply  their  task.    Although  so  well  manned,  we  made 


l 


180  FIVE   YEARS   IN   CHINA. 

but  slow  progress  along  the  winding  creek,  whose 
banks  were  overgrown  with  tall,  thick  reeds ;  for  the 
water  was  still  so  low  that  most  of  the  time  we  were 
obliged  to  force  our  way  through  the  mud.  The 
great  number  of  boats  we  were  compelled  to  pass 
added  to  the  difficulty,  and  several  times,  not  only 
the  boatmen,  but  all  the  rest  of  us,  found  our  utmost 
physical  strength  in  requisition,  and  we  had  a  good 
share  of  it — to  effect  a  passage  by  them.  We  expe- 
rienced this  kind  of  hinderance  for  about  two  miles, 
or  until  we  were  quite  beyond  the  city,  on  the  west- 
ern side  of  which,  a  short  distance  without  the  wall, 
the  creek  has  its  course.  The  tide,  too,  by  this  time, 
was  "setting  in"  rapidly  in  our  favor,  but  the  wind, 
which  was  blowing  quite  fresh  and  strong  when  we 
started,  was  "  dead  ahead,"  as  the  sailors  say,  and 
had  so  increased  in  violence,  that  we  could  scarcely 
advance  against  it.  So  we  betook  ourselves  to  the 
bank,  along  which  is  a  well-beaten  path — partly  to 
keep  warm  by  the  exercise,  and  partly  to  examine 
the  figures  of  priests  and  animals,  sculptured  in 
stone,  which  had  been  set  up  under  a  former  dynasty 
to  guard  the  tombs  of  persons  of  distinguished  rank. 
This  region  abounds  in  these  relics  of  an  earlier  age, 
many  still  standing  erect,  while  some  have  fallen  to 
the  ground.  Then  again  we  would  run  across  the 
fields,  following  Dr.  Medhurst,  who  still  possesses  the 
vigor  and  activity  of  his  youth — toward  a  monu- 
mental tablet,  eight  feet  high,  by  two  and  a  half 
square,  inscribed  with  characters  which  commemorate 
the  virtues  and  honors  of  some  departed  mandarin. 
The  learned  veteran  missionary  read  them  with  as 
much  fluency  and  ease  as  if  they  had  been  written 


EXTRACTS  FROM  JOURNAL.  181 

in  his  own  native  tongue.  Some  of  these  commemo- 
rative structures  are  in  the  form  of  grotesque  gate- 
ways, of  elaborately  hewn  and  quaintly  sculptured 
granite.  They  may  be  seen  here  and  there,  in  the 
open  fields,  and  among  the  crowded  buildings  in  the 
city. 

After  proceeding  in  this  way  about  six  miles  from 
Shanghai,  by  the  creek,  though  not  more  than  four 
in  a  right  line,  the  boatmen  were  directed  to  stop 
and  await  our  return,  while  we  walked  to  a  village 
two  miles  distant,  where  the  Doctor  was  to  preach. 
Accompanied  by  one  of  the  men  to  carry  a  large  bag 
of  books  and  tracts,  which  were  distributed  to  those 
we  met  on  the  way,  but  more  especially  to  the  num- 
bers who  crowded  about  us  on  our  entrance  into  the 
place,  and  followed  us  through  the  principal  street, 
till  we  reached  the  temple  consecrated  to  the  worship 
of  the  tutelar  deity  of  the  village.  Here  Dr.  Med- 
hurst  took  his  stand  just  in  front  of  the  idol-shrine, 
and  began  preaching  to  the  people  whom  curiosity 
had  drawn  together.  A  man  who  seemed  to  be  a 
leading  character  among  them,  very  civilly  placed  a 
bench  for  him  to  sit  upon,  at  the  same  time  saying 
he  must  be  tired  from  having  walked  so  far ;  then 
going  away,  he  presently  returned  with  large  cups 
of  tea  for  each  of  us,  which  we  received  and  drank 
with  the  best  grace  we  could,  though  it  was  far  from 
being  palatable.  The  services  concluded,  and  the 
bag  emptied,  we  returned  to  the  boat.  A  fire  was 
soon  kindled  in  a  small  furnace,  upon  which  the  pre- 
viously cooked  dinner  was  warmed,  and  then  placed 
upon  the  little  table,  where  it  received  ample  justice 
from  our  sharpened  appetites.  It  was  now  five  o'clock, 


L 


182  FIVE  YEARS  IN  CHINA. 

and  the  boat  homeward  bound,  but  the  tide  had  left 
us ;  so  leaving  the  boat  in  care  of  the  men  to  bring 
on  the  next  day,  we  again  landed  and  returned  on 
foot,  reaching  home  a  little  after  dark — another  faith- 
ful testimony  having  been  delivered  to  these  poor 
idolaters,  the  word  of  life  circulated  among  them, 
and  our  own  physical  strength,  at  least,  renewed  by 
the  day's  exercise. 

On  the  25th  of  February,  Tau-Kwang — "  Reason's 
Glory," — the  Emperor  of  China,  whose  portrait  forms 
the  frontispiece  to  this  volume,  died  at  the  age  sixty- 
nine  years,  and  in  the  thirtieth  of  his  reign.  When 
speaking  of  his  demise,  only  the  rude  and  vulgar  say 
he  died.  The  literary  and  refined  always  say  of  the 
death  of  an  emperor,  "  A  Mountain  has  fallen."  He 
was  the  sixth  sovereign  of  the  Ta-Tsing — "Great 
Pure," — the  Manchoo  or  Tartar  dynasty,  which 
usurped  the  throne  a  little  more  than  200  years  ago. 
In  his  will  he  designated  his  fourth  son,  titled  Hien- 
foong,  as  his  successor,  whose  accession  to  the  impe- 
rial seat  has  been,  as  far  as  we  have  learned,  quite 
peaceful.  It  is  said  his  elder  brothers  were  very 
clamorous  on  the  occasion,  preferring  their  several 
claims  on  the  ground  of  seniority.  But  the  will  of 
the  father  was  law,  and  the  chief  ministers  of  State 
fulfilled  it.  Whether  this  preference  was  founded  on 
the  supposed  possession  of  superior  abilities  by  the 
younger  son,  or  was  the  result  of  parental  partiality, 
it  is  not  in  our  power  to  determine.  At  every  change 
of  rulers,  political  disturbances  are  feared,  partly 
from  the  intrigues  of  the  disappointed  expectants  of 
royal  honors,  who  sometimes  by  skillful  manoeuvring, 
enlist  so  strong  an  interest  in  their  favor,  on  the  part 


EXTRACTS  FROM:  JOURNAL.  183 

of  high  officers  of  government,  as  to  frustrate  the 
expressed  desire  of  the  emperor  concerning  his  suc- 
cessor; and  partly  from  the  efforts  of  the  Triad 
Society — a  secret  association  opposed  to  the  reigning 
dynasty,  whose  object  is  to  throw  off  the  Tartar  yoke 
and  reinstate  the  old  Chinese  regime.  Some  open 
demonstration  is  apprehended  from  them  at  every 
change  of  the  administration.  But  the  severe  enac- 
tions against  the  society,  and  the  terrible  penalties 
visited  upon  all  who  are  known  to  be  connected 
with  it,  tend  to  keep  them  comparatively  few  in  num- 
ber, and  to  hold  them  in  check. 

The  document  proclaiming  the  new  emperor  ar- 
rived at  Shanghai  on  the  1st  of  April.  I  went  in 
company  with  two  other  missionaries  to  witness  the 
ceremony  of  its  reception,  and  hear  it  read.  It  was 
a  scroll  about  three  feet  long,  in  a  case  of  yellow  silk, 
tied  at  both  ends  with  ribbon  of  the  same  color,  and 
was  brought  into  the  temple  in  a  richly  carved  and 
gilded  sedan,  borne  by  four  coolies.  This  was  fol- 
lowed by  all  the  mandarins  of  Shanghai — some  fifteen 
or  eighteen  in  number — attired  in  their  court  dress, 
which  in  shape  resembles  old-fashioned  great-coats  I 
have  seen  in  the  United  States,  having  a  long  skirt 
and  small  cape,  but  with  sleeves  much  longer  and 
larger.  They  are  made  of  bluish-black  satin,  wadded 
with  cotton,  lined  with  silk  or  fur,  and  covered  with 
the  richest  embroidery.  Their  hats  were  adorned 
with  a  profusion  of  long,  beautiful  red  feathers,  or 
very  fine  floss  silk — I  was  not  near  enough  to  deter- 
mine which — surmounted  in  the  centre  by  the  "  but- 
ton "  or  knob,  of  blue,  red,  or  white  precious  stone, 
or  of  brass,  according  to  the  rank  of  the  wearer. 


L 


184  FIVE  YEARS  IN  CHINA. 

The  blue  indicating  the  highest,  and  the  brass  the 
lowest.  Of  the  former  there  was  but  one  present, 
and  he  was  also  distinguished  from  the  others  by 
wearing  a  peacock's  feather  in  his  cap — a  privilege 
granted  to  none  of  inferior  grade.  I  have  been  in- 
formed that  this  individual  did  not  attain  his  rank 
through  the  usual  course  of  literary  examinations, 
but  purchased  his  "  button  "  or  rank  for  the  snug  sum 
of  thirty  thousand  dollars.  He  was  long  known  to 
our  countrymen  at  Canton  as  an  extensive  and  suc- 
cessful tea  merchant,  by  the  name  of  Sain-Qua.  He 
is  the  highest  officer  in  the  department  of  Soong- 
Kiang,  with  the  official  title — Tau-tai.  Shanghai  is 
only  a  district  in  this  department. 

As  the  sedan  containing  the  proclamation  was  set 
down  in  an  open  court  of  the  temple,  the  mandarins 
all  kneeled  on  cushions  in  four  rows,  with  their  faces 
toward  it,  while  one  of  their  number  took  the  docu- 
ment from  its  place,  and  kneeling  on  the  steps  that 
led  to  the  imperial  shrine,  carried  and  put  it  on  two 
forked  rests  before  a  tablet,  inscribed  in  gilt  charac- 
ters, with  a  sentence  equivalent  to  "  long  live  the  Em- 
peror." Literally  translated,  it  reads,  "  Imperial 
Ruler,  myriad  years,  myriad  years,  myriad,  myriad 
years."  Then,  at  the  calling  out  of  a  herald,  the 
mandarins  slowly  and  reverently  bowed  their  heads 
to  the  pavement  nine  times.  They  still  remained  on 
their  knees,  while  the  same  one  took  the  paper  from 
its  place  at  the  shrine,  where  incense  sticks  had  been 
all  the  time  burning  before  it,  and  carrying  it  to  a 
table  elevated  one  step  from  the  brick  pavement,  and 
a  little  to  one  side  of  the  altar,  read  it  aloud  to  the 
assembled  multitude.    "When  he  had  finished,  he  re- 


EXTRACTS  FROM  JOURNAL.  185 

placed  it  before  the  tablet,  the  mandarins  again 
"knocked  head" — as  the  native  term  signifies — nine 
times,  as  before,  then  rising  from  their  knees  retired, 
and  the  multitude  dispersed. 

The  various  badges  and  ceremonies  of  mourning, 
ordered  upon  the  death  of  the  empress  dowager,  and 
shortly  after,  of  the  emperor  himself,  were  now  laid 
aside.  Besides  the  prohibition  from  shaving  the  head 
for  a  hundred  days,  the  public  officers  had  been  daily 
rto  some  of  the  temples,  in  long  white  robes,  and 
made  loud  lamentations  for  the  dead,  and  this  they 
still  continue  once  in  seven  days. 

There  is  much  beauty  and  tenderness  in  the  com- 
munication of  the  former  emperor  to  his  cabinet, 
announcing  the  death  of  his  step-mother.  He  says, 
"We  have  attended  her  majesty  since  we  received 
the  throne,  and  have  cherished  her  for  twenty-nine 
years.  "We  have  seen  that  in  her  declining  days  she 
had  every  comfort,  and  that  she  had  passed  the  age 
of  eighty,  for  which  our  heart  was  happy  and  calm, 
and  we  encouraged  ourself  that  she  would  happily 
add  one  year  to  another,  until  she  enjoyed  the  felicity 
of  seeing  a  century.  Lately,  on  the  nineteenth  day 
of  the  moon,  she  took  an  airing  in  the  garden  and 
returned  to  her  palace.  We  daily  went  to  inquire 
concerning  her  health,  and  then  unexpectedly  became 
aware  that  our  beloved  relative  was  not  in  her  usual 
vigor.  We  thought  that  if  she  was  nursed  a  few  days 
with  care,  she  would  then  recover  her  health.  But 
contrary  to  all  our  anticipations,  her  ailments  daily 
increased  in  violence,  and  on  the  twenty-fourth,  in  the 
middle  of  the  afternoon,  she  drove  the  fairy  chariot 
and  went  the  long  journey.     Our  grief  broke  out  in 


186  FIVE  YEAKS  IN  CHINA. 

loud  lamentations,  for  we  were  greatly  afflicted.  We 
humbly  brought  to  mind  that  since  the  Holy  Em- 
press, ■  Filial — Pure — Bright '  (his  own  mother),  left 
this  world  to  take  the  upward  journey,  we  have  been 
greatly  indebted  to  her  Imperial  Majesty,  Ta-hing, 
for  her  abounding  kindness,  and  overshadowing 
favor.  We  have  been  made  happy  while  attending 
to  her  behests,  as  men  are  rejoiced  by  the  sun  which 
prolongs  their  lives;  but  now  we  can  never  again 
look  upon  her  affectionate  countenance.  Our  grief 
cannot  easily  be  assuaged." 


CHAPTEE  XY. 

EXTRACTS   FROM  JOURNAL. 

Building  our  Houses — Chapels— Schools — Birds — Tracts — Catechism 
— Medical  Practice — Book  Distribution — Conversation  with  an  Idol- 
ater— A  Sunday's  Work — A  Day  in  my  Chapel — Synopsis  of  a  Tract 
— Another  Sunday — An  Accident  and  Death — Removal  of  a  Tumor 
from  a  Man's  Nose — The  "  Tea-Gardens  " — A  Trip  into  the  Country 
— A  Crooked  Stream — Mode  of  Planting  Cotton — Preaching — A 
Wheelbarrow  Ride. 

April  1,  1850. — For  some  months  past,  our  houses 
have  necessarily  occupied  the  greater  part  of  our 
time.  For,  as  the  native  workmen  are  unacquainted 
with  our  mode  of  building,  they  require  supervision 
and  direction  at  every  step.  We  did  not  design,  in 
coming  to  China,  to  become  architects,  carpenters 
and  masons,  but  the  circumstances  into  which  we 
have  been  thrown,  have  compelled  us  to  act  as 
such  for  the  last  few  months — little  as  we  know  of 
these  handicrafts.  Our  chief  dependence  for  plans 
has  been  the  recollection  of  the  manner  of  building, 
and  the  general  appearance  of  dwelling-houses  in 
the  United  States.  Such  knowledge  was  at  best  but 
very  scanty,  yet  our  success  has  exceeded  our  expec- 
tations, and  we  have  two  commodious  mission-houses 
nearly  completed.  Early  in  the  year  I  purchased  a 
small  lot  adjoining  my  former  purchase,  for  fifty 


188  FIVE  YEARS  IN  CHINA. 

dollars,  and  upon  this  built  a  chapel  which  will  seat 
a  hundred  and  fifty  Chinese.  A  congregation  of  this 
number  is  the  largest  that  we  could  reasonably  ex- 
pect ever  to  obtain  at  my  residence  outside  the  city, 
as  it  is  on  one  of  the  many  paths  leading  to  the  north 
gate.  It  therefore  seemed  wiser  to  adapt  my  chapel 
to  the  probable  size  of  my  largest  congregation,  than 
to  build  a  large  house  and  never  see  it  half  filled. 
It  might,  perhaps,  more  properly  be  called  an  oratory, 
where  1  can  go  and  hold  a  service  at  any  hour  of  the 
day.  The  second  story  piazza  of  my  house  commands 
a  view  of  the  path  for  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  and  when 
I  see  a  goodly  number  approaching,  I  go  down,  and 
opening  the  door  of  my  little  chapel,  invite  them  to 
come  in  for  a  few  minutes  and  listen  to  the  "  Jesus 
doctrines."  Thus  do  I  spread  my  net  and  fish  for 
men.  It  is  now  three  months  since  my  first  exercise 
in  it,  and  I  have  had  some  very  interesting  services. 
In  the  absence  of  a  large  chapel  within  the  city,  I 
preach  every  Sunday  in  some  of  the  other  churches, 
either  to  supply  the  place  of  some  of  our  missionary 
brethren  who  may  be  ill,  or  taking  part  in  their  ser- 
vices when  they  are  present,  and  also  frequently  ad- 
dress large  crowds  at  places  of  public  resort  in  the 
open  air.  On  all  these  occasions  a  good  deal  of  in- 
terest is  manifest  in  many  countenances,  though  in 
estimating  the  amount  of  real  interest  on  the  subject, 
much  allowance  must  be  made  for  what  is  mere 
curiosity. 

The  two  schools  established  last  year  are  in  a  pros- 
perous condition,  though  the  attendance  of  the  child- 
ren has  been  more  or  less  interrupted  by  sickness — 
principally  smallpox.    They  are  making  very  en- 


EXTRACTS  FROM  JOURNAL.  189 

couraging  progress  in  the  acquisition  of  religious 
truth.  Both  teachers  and  scholars  assemble  every 
Sunday  in  my  chapel,  when  I  catechise  them,  and 
explain  to  them  the  meaning  and  importance  of  the 
truths  they  learn.  Quite  a  number  of  them  can 
repeat,  with  great  readiness,  the  Ten  Command- 
ments, the  Lord's  Prayer,  the  Creed,  and  a  simple 
Catechism  which  I  prepared  for  them  in  the  local 
dialect. 

April  18. — After  several  days  of  mist,  and  rain, 
and  clouds,  the  sun  shines  upon  us  again  with  all  his 
wonted  splendor,  and  we  are  enjoying  one  of  the 
brightest  of  the  many  bright  mornings  in  this  sunny, 
yet  dark,  dark  land.  The  glittering  rain-drops  still 
linger  on  the  leaves  of  the  willows  and  bamboos 
around  us,  and  we  hear  the  merry  chirping  of  the 
sparrows,  and  the  scratching  of  their  tiny  claws  on 
the  roof  over  our  heads,  as  they  build  their  nests  be- 
neath the  tiles.  I  don't  know  how  much,  but  we 
certainly  owe  something  to  these  sweet  birds,  whose 
blithe  warbling  so  often  cheers  our  hearts.  "We  pay 
them  in  daily  installments  of  crumbs  and  rice,  and 
whether  or  not  they  deem  the  remuneration  sufficient, 
they  seem  content  to  abide  with  us,  and  go  on  with 
their  singing.  When  they  come  about  the  door,  our 
little  boy  jumps  up  and  down,  clapping  his  hands 
and  screaming  with  delight.  I  often  wonder  that 
his  boisterous  demonstrations  don't  frighten  them 
away  altogether,  but  perhaps  they  recognize  a  kin- 
dred spirit  in  his  innocent  glee.  Thanks  to  our 
Heavenly  Father  for  the  little  birds.  They  are  not 
beneath  his  notice,  and  they  should  not  be  beneath 
ours. 


190  FIVE  YEAES  IN  CHINA. 

A  man  who  has  been  importuning  me  for  a  long 
time  to  go  and  look  at  a  buillfeng'  site  $xr  a  chapel 
within  the  city  walls,  called  again  ftiis  morning  on 
the  same  errand.  I  went  with  him  and  examined 
two  locations,  both  of  which  are  quite  eligible,  being 
in  very  populous  streets.  Carried  a  handful  of  tracts 
with  me  and  distributed  to  such  as  I  found,  by  in- 
quiry, were  able  to  read.  Bread  cast  upon  the 
waters.  May  the  Eye  that  never  sleeps  watch  it  and 
gather  it  after  many  days.  The  tracts  contain  the 
Ten  Commandments,  the  Apostle's  Creed,  the  Lord's 
Prayer,  a  long  metre  doxology,  embodying  the  doc- 
trine of  the  Trinity,  and  a  calendar  showing  the  Sun- 
days for  the  present  year,  according  to  Chinese  time. 
I  have  just  published  an  edition  of  six  thousand  of 
them.  Each  tract  has  on  the  cover,  directions  to  my 
chapel,  which  I  have  named,  "  Foh-ying  Dong " 
"  Good-Tidings  Hall,''  or,  in  another  phrase,  "  Gospel 
Hall." 

April  19. — Have  been  engaged  to-day  in  prepar- 
ing a  more  complete  catechism  in  the  Shanghai  dia- 
lect, for  the  use  of  the  children  in  my  schools,  anti 
have  also  had  five  or  six  applications  for  medical 
relief.  This  is  about  the  average  number  of  new 
cases  daily.  The  great  majority  for  several  months 
past,  have  been  of  intermittent  fever,  and  the  form 
of  an  application  for  medicine  generally  runs  thus : 
"  Taylor,  teacher,  thanks,  thanks  to  you,  may  I  trou- 
ble your  heart,  I  wish  a  little  fever  and  ague  medi- 
cine." I  sometimes  ask  them,  "  Why  do  you  wish 
my  medicine  ?  have  you  not  remedies  here?"  "  Yes, 
but  your  medicine  is  exceedingly  good  ;  compared 
with  our  native  medicines,  it  is  far  better."     "  How 


EXTRA, 


CTS  FEOM  JOUKNAL.  191 

did  you  know  I  have  medicines  ?"  "  My  neighbor 
was  sick  and  carhe  #nd  ate  your  medicine,  and  is 
now  well ;  so  I  will  trouble  your  heart  to  give  me  a 
little." 

April  20. — Went  into  the  city  this  afternoon,  ac- 
companied by  my  teacher,  Loo  Seen-Sang,  taking  a 
number  of  tracts  with  me.     Soon  disposed  of  them, 
and  regretted  I  had  not  taken  many  more.     The 
crowd  we  meet  is  so  great  that  it  is  neither  practica- 
ble nor  prudent  to  give  a  tract  to  every  one,  for  the 
probability  is,  that  not  more  than  one  in  ten  can  read, 
so  we  must  exercise  what  little  skill  in  physiognomy 
we  possess,  and  confine  our  favors  to  those  whose 
countenances  bespeak  sufficient  intelligence  to  appre- 
ciate  them.     They   are   generally  received   with   a 
respectful   bow   and   many   thanks,  while   the  face 
beams  with  smiles  of  gratification.   Here  comes  a  man 
of  wealth,  borne  in  a  sedan  by  two  coolies.     I  put  a 
tract  in  his  hand  as  he  passes,  and  he  takes  it  with 
tokens  of  evident  pleasure.     A  little  further  on,  and 
we  meet  one  of  the  very  opposite  condition  in  life, 
resting  himself  by  his   burden,  which   lies   on  the 
ground  near  him,  and  he  extends  his  hands  eagerly 
for  a  book.     "  Can  you  read  ?"     "  No,  but  there  is  a 
neighbor  of  mine  who  can,  and  I  will  get  him  to  read 
it  for  me."    "  By  all  means  you  shall  have  one."    We 
still  pass  on,  and  enter  the  principal  temple  in  the 
city ;    see   an   intelligent-looking,  well-dressed  man 
standing  near,  and  give  him  a  tract.     He  receives  it 
with  cool  civility,  and  we  walk  on  toward  the  large 
idol,  and  guardian  divinity  of  Shanghai.     Presently 
this  man  comes  along  and  kneels  before  the  gilded 
image,  bowing  his  head  several  times  very  reverently. 


L. 


192  FIVE  TEAKS   IN   CHINA. 

As  he  rises  to  go  away,  I  observe  to  him,  "  It  is  very- 
wrong  to  worship  that  stupid  block  of  wood."  "  No, 
it  is  right ;  it  is  very  good  to  worship  it."  "  But  look 
at  it ;  it  cannot  see  with  its  eyes,  nor  hear  with  its 
ears,  nor  speak  with  its  mouth  ;  it  cannot  move  its 
hands,  nor  can  it  walk  with  its  feet."  "  Oh,  it  is  a 
very  great  god,  and  can  understand,  and  do  many 
things."  "  No,  you  are  mistaken  ;  it  is  just  as  sense- 
less as  this  wooden  post,  and  was  perhaps  made  of 
the  same  tree,  one  man  taking  the  best  part  to  make 
the  pillars  of  this  temple,  and  another  the  root  that 
was  good  for  nothing  else,  and  carving  out  that  ugly 
idol.  You  ought  to  worship  the  only  living  and  true 
God,  that  made  the  world." 

The  conversation  proceeded  something  after  this 
manner,  as  well  as  we  could  understand  each  other 
(for  he  was  a  man  from  the  Fok-hien  province,  where 
the  dialect  is  very  different  from  that  spoken  here), 
until  at  last  he  said :  "  But  you  foreigners  bring 
opium  here,  that  is  destroying  our  people,  and  how 
can  you  be  good  men  ;  how  can  your  doctrines  be 
good,  when  you  who  believe  them  bring  this  dreadful 
poison  here  to  kill  us,  for  the  sake  of  gain  ?"  This 
reproach  is  cast  in  our  teeth  daily,  and  we  feel  it 
keenly  ;  but  when  we  unite  with  them  in  strong  dis- 
approval of  the  introduction  and  use  of  this  ruinous 
drug,  and  assure  them  that  we  are  engaged  in  no 
traffic  of  any  kind,  but  left  our  homes,  far  away  in  the 
"  Flowery  Flag  Country  " — the  name  they  have  given 
to  America,  from  the  gay  appearance  of  the  stars  and 
stripes — for  the  sole  purpose  of  making  known  to 
them  the  true  God,  and  the  way  of  salvation  through 
Jesus  Christ,  they  soon  learn  to  draw  a  line  of  dis- 


EXTRACTS  FROM  JOURNAL.  193 

tinction  between  us  and  other  foreigners.  This  was 
the  case  in  the  present  instance,  and  the  man,  from 
seeming  highly  offended  with  me  at  first  for  decrying 
his  gods,  took  my  hand  most  cordially  in  both  his 
own,  inquired  my  name,  age,  and  residence,  and 
promised  to  call  and  talk  these  doctrines  over  with 
me  more  at  length,  as  I  had  begged  him  to  do.  After 
once  more  urging  him  to  read  and  carefully  consider 
the  contents  of  the  tract,  we  parted.  This  was  a  case 
of  unusual  interest  to  me,  and  I  felt  more  encouraged 
concerning  him,  from  the  very  fact  of  his  so  strenu- 
ously defending  his  religion,  than  I  do  of  scores  whom 
I  meet  every  day  who  will  admit  everything  said  to 
them,  without  raising  a  single  objection.  He  was  so 
honest  and  earnest  in  his  misbelief,  that  if  he  could 
be  fully  enlightened  on  the  subject  of  Christianity,  I 
doubt  not  he  would  see  the  folly  of  his  own  supersti- 
tious creed,  and  become  equally  zealous  and  sincere 
in  espousing  the  doctrines  of  the  Gospel. 

April  21,  Sunday. — At  half-past  nine  this  morning, 
we  attended  the  regular  weekly  service  in  English, 
conducted  by  the  six  missionaries  of  the  London  Mis- 
sionary Society.'  They  have  desired  us,  together  with 
our  Baptist  brethren,  to  take  our  turns  in  preaching 
with  themselves,  in  the  alphabetical  order  of  our 
names,  on  a  list  of  eleven.  This  service  concluded, 
Dr.  Medhurst  preached  in  Chinese  on  the  resurrection 
of  Christ,  and  administered  the  sacrament  of  the 
Lord's  Supper  to  four  native  church  members.  After 
this,  I  went  to  the  large  new  church,  recently  built 
by  the  Missionaries  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Board, 
and  heard  the  Kev.  J.  L.  Shuck,  also  in  the  native 
dialect ;  I  acted  at  the  same  time  as  "  door-keeper  in 

9 


L. 


194:  FIVE  YEARS   IN  CHINA. 

the  house  of  the  Lord,"  and  found  it  "  better  than  to 
dwell  in  the  tents  of  wickedness."  A  door-keeper  is 
often  necessary  for  the  purpose  of  inviting  the  passers- 
by  to  come  in,  and  to  persuade  thein  to  remain, 
when  once  inside,  till  the  conclusion  of  the  sermon. 
I  then  returned  home,  took  an  early  dinner,  and 
opened  the  door  of  my  little  chapel  for  service.  Both 
my  schools  with  their  two  teachers,  Wong  and  Tsang, 
soon  came  in,  and  many  of  the  neighbors  assembled, 
so  that  with  them  and  the  casual  passers-by,  the  place 
was  well  filled.  My  first  exercise  was  the  examina- 
tion of  the  children  in  the  presence  of  the  congrega- 
tion. I  then  addressed  the  assembly,  and  concluded 
with  prayer,  after  which,  turned  my  steps  toward  the 
city  again,  to  the  London  Mission  chapel,  and  was 
invited  to  preach  by  the  missionary  of  that  society, 
whose  duty  it  wras  to  hold  the  service.  When  I  had 
finished,  I  listened  to  another  sermon  by  him,  which 
was'  my  only  design  in  going  to  the  place,  for  I  find 
this  the  very  best  means  of  learning  myself  how 
to  preach  in  the  language  of  the  natives.  Then  pro- 
ceeding a  second  time  to  the  Baptist  Mission  chapel, 
for  the  same  end,  and  heard  Mr.  Shuck  again,  while 
I  endeavored  to  make  myself  useful  in  the  same  hon- 
orable capacity  in  which  I  had  acted  in  the  morning. 
From  this,  went  to  the  first  chapel  opened  by  the 
brethren  of  this  Board,  where  they  continue  to  hold 
regular  services,  and  heard  a  sermon  from  the  Eev. 
M.  T.  Yates,  after  which  I  returned  home,  opened  the 
door  of  my  own  little  chapel  once  more,  and  preached 
to  a  house  full.  Among  them  were  two  Buddhist 
priests  and  one  Buddhist  nun,  all  having  their  heads 
entirely  shorn,  and  wearing  apparel  alike.    The  folly 


EXTRACTS   FROM  JOURNAL.  195 

and  wickedness  of  idolatry  formed  a  part  of  my  dis- 
course, as  usual,  and  at  the  conclusion,  one  of  the 
priests  told  me  that  what  I  had  been  saying  was  true, 
and  that  it  was  useless  to  worship  idols.  I  then  ex- 
horted him  to  abandon  them  and  believe  in  Jesus, 
who  only  could  save  his  soul.  Oh  will  he  do  it  ?  Or 
will  the  words  of  truth  be  heard,  and  the  little  tract 
I  gave  him  rise  up  in  the  day  of  judgment  and  con- 
demn him  ? 

Thus  ended  the  labors  of  one  of  my  Sabbaths  in 
Shanghai,  and  it  is  a  fair  specimen  of  the  whole 
Glorious  privilege !     Happy,  thrice  happy  is  my  lot, 

"if  with  my  latest  breath, 


I  may  but  gasp  his  name, 

Preach  Him  to  all,  and  cry  in  death, 
Behold !  behold  the  Lamb  !" 

April  24. — Have  transferred  my  study  to  my 
chapel  for  the  last  two  or  three  days.  A  table  stands 
before  the  pulpit,  and  I  am  seated  at  it  with  my 
teacher.  The  door  is  open  on  the  path  passing  along 
in  front,  and  only  three  feet  distant  from  it,  so  that 
many  who  pass  along  step  in  from  curiosity.  Thus 
is  an  opportunity  found  to  say  a  word  to  them,  and 
present  a  tract  to  all  who  can  read.  Sometimes  one 
after  another  comes  in  and  sits  down  near  the  table, 
until  a  dozen  or  so  have  assembled,  and  then  I  step 
up  into  the  pulpit  and  preach  to  them.  This  occurred 
to-day,  and  the  number  increased  to  twenty  or  more 
before  I  finished.  All  listened  attentively,  and  some 
with  much  apparent  interest.  This  plan  subjects  me 
to  more  interruption  in  my  studies,  than  I  experienced 
in  the  quiet  little  room  in  our  dwelling,  but  I  am  per- 


U 


196  FIVE  TEAKS   IN   CHINA. 

suaded  that  it  also  affords  me  a  tenfold  greater  oppor- 
tunity for  disseminating  the  truths  of  the  Gospel,  and 
as  this  is  the  great  object  for  which  I  was  sent  here, 
I  am  willing  to  submit  to  the  inconvenience,  for  the 
sake  of  immediate  usefulness.  I  may  here  speak  a 
word  in  season  to  many  souls  whom  I  might  never 
meet  again,  should  I  shut  myself  up  in  my  study  till 
I  acquire  a  competent  knowledge  of  the  written 
character.  But  as  an  indemnity  for  what  I  may  lose 
in  the  study  of  the  written,  this  constant  intercourse 
with  the  people,  affords  increased  advantages  for  the 
acquisition  of  the  spoken  language.  And  this  with 
me,  takes  the  precedence  in  point  of  present  relative 
importance. 

April  26. — The  incessant  heavy  rain  has  given  me 
a  whole  day  for  uninterrupted  study,  and  I  occupied 
it  in  preparing  another  tract  for  publication,  on  the 
way  to  save  the  soul.  It  is  entitled,  "  Tau  le,pih 
toh" — " Important  doctrines — By  all  means  reaolP 
The  value  of  the  soul  is  first  asserted,  and  the  conse- 
quent importance  of  attending  to  its  interests.  Then 
follows  a  brief  account  of  the  creation,  fall  of  our 
first  parents,  involving  the  whole  human  family  in 
sin,  and  temporal  and  eternal  death.  The  compas- 
sion of  God  for  our  race  is  next  brought  to  view,  as 
displayed  in  the  gift  of  his  only  begotten  Son  Jesus 
Christ,  to  suffer  and  die  in  our  stead.  Then  follow 
the  circumstances  of  his  life,  death,  resurrection  and 
ascension.  He  is  represented  as  ever  living  at  the 
right  hand  of  God  as  our  intercessor  and  advocate. 
The  utter  destitution  of  merit  on  the  part  of  man,  is 
then  stated,  and  yet  the  perfect  willingness  of  God 
to  pardon  and  save  all  who  repent  of  their  sins,  and 


EXTRACTS  FROM  JOURNAL.  197 

rely  alone  on  the  merit  of  Jesus  for  salvation.  The 
final  blessedness  of  the  righteous  and  the  eternal 
misery  of  the  unbelieving,  follow  next,  together  with 
an  exposition  of  the  folly  and  sinfulness  of  idolatry 
and  the  insufficiency  of  the  system  of  Confucius.  It 
closes  with  a  direct  appeal  to  the  reader,  and  a  form 
of  prayer  for  his  use,  supposing  him  penitent  and  de- 
siring to  come  to  a  knowledge  of  the  truth.  I  have 
breathed  many  a  prayer  for  the  guidance  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  during  the  preparation  of  this  little  tract,  and 
trust  it  will  go  forth  with  the  divine  blessing. 

April  28. — Another  Sabbath  of  hard  and  happy 
work.  Have  heard  three  sermons  from  others,  and 
preached  three  myself.  The  last  service  in  my 
chapel  late  in  the  afternoon,  was  unusually  interest- 
ing. It  reminded  me  forcibly  of  meetings  I  have 
often  held  in  my  native  land,  especially  among  the 
negroes.  All  eyes  were  intent  upon  me,  and  in 
several,  I  thought  I  saw  a  glistening  tear.  If  this 
was  not  the  case,  an  absorbing  interest  gave  them  at 
least  an  unusual  brightness.  From  some  women 
near  the  pulpit  I  could  hear  suppressed  groans,  while 
from  other  persons  in  the  congregation  expressions 
signifying— "  Yes,"— "  It  is  so"— "It  is  true"— 
"Every  particle  correct" — "Good" — "Excellent" 
— and  many  were  constantly  nodding  assent  to  what 
I  was  saying.  What  was  the  cause  of  it  ?  Was  it 
indeed  interest  in  the  truth,  or  was  it  the  result  of 
mere  curiosity  excited  by  the  strangeness  of  new 
doctrines.  I  would  fain  persuade  myself  of  the 
former,  but  it  may  have  been  only  the  latter.  I 
never  before  have  had  such  freedom  of  utterance  in 
declaring  the  Gospel  to  these  benighted  heathen  in 


198  FIVE  TEARS  IN  CHINA. 

their  own  native  language.  Of  one  thing  I  am  cer- 
tain— they  heard  some  of  the  most  prominent  truths 
of  the  Bible,  and  gave  evidence  that  they  understood 
them.  It  only  remains  for  me  to  commend  them  in 
earnest  prayer  to  the  Holy  Spirit,  that  he  may  bring 
to  maturity  the  seed  thus  sown. 

April  29. — Last  Saturday,  a  poor  man  who  had 
fallen  from  the  bridge  into  the  creek,  which  passes 
my  house,  and  had  been  rescued  from  drowning  by 
some  boatmen,  found  his  way  to  within  a  few  feet  of 
my  chapel  door,  whether  by  himself  or  some  assist- 
ance, I  cannot  tell,  but  there  he  lay  shivering  and 
exhausted.  I  at  first  had  him  placed  where  the  sun 
could  shine  upon  him,  for  it  was  a  warm,  bright  day, 
and  not  long  after,  having  procured  a  change  of  dry 
clothing  for  him,  brought  him  within  my  inclosure, 
gave  him  some  warm  tea,  and  rice  boiled  to  congee, 
after  which,  in  a  few  minutes,  he  seemed  quite  com- 
fortable. He  slept  that  night  under  a  shelter  where 
some  of  the  men  who  are  at  work  upon  my  house 
are  in  the  habit  of  sleeping.  The  next  morning  he 
seemed  still  stronger,  and  during  the  day  lay  about 
the  yard  wherever  he  could  find  a  sunny  place.  He 
was  well  fed  too,  said  he  thought  he  should  be  quite 
well  to-day,  and  went  to  sleep  where  he  had  done  the 
night  before,  in  company  with  one  of  the  workmen. 
But  this  morning  he  was  stiff  and  cold  in  death.  He 
is  now  in  his  coffin,  ready  to  be  carried  away  to- 
morrow. 

A  man  whom  I  observed  in  the  congregation  yes- 
terday, having  a  tumor  upon  his  nose,  which  sadly 
disfigured  his  face,  came  to  me  this  morning,  upon 
my  promise  to  try  and  relieve  him.     He  came,  and 


EXTRACTS   FROM   JOURNAL.  199 

it  was  successfully  removed  with  the  knife.  He  is  a 
man  in  easy  circumstances,  and  resides  at  Soong- 
Kiang,  a  large  city  about  forty  miles  west  from 
Shanghai.  He  came  here  on  a  visit  to  a  relative,  and 
strayed  into  the  house  of  God,  where  his  singular 
appearance  attracted  my  notice.  He  is  highly 
pleased  with  the  improvement  his  face  has  under- 
gone. The  number  and  variety  of  other  applications 
for  medical  aid,  has  been  so  great  to-day  as  to  afford 
me  scarce  a  moment's  time  for  study.  Oh  that  they 
were  as  eager  to  be  rid  of  the  deformities  of  sin  and 
the  diseases  of  the  soul ! 

May  5. — On  yesterday  (Sunday),  at  half-past  nine, 
I  preached  in  English,  and  administered  the  Sacra- 
ment of  the  Lord's  Supper  in  the  chapel  of  the  Lon- 
don Missionary  Society.  Afterward,  had  four  public 
exercises  in  Chinese.  One  of  the  latter  was  in  the 
court  of  the  large  temple  of  the  "  city's  guardian  " — 
the  idol  to  whom  the  greatest  amount  of  blind  ado- 
ration is  offered  by  the  deluded  people  living  in 
Shanghai.  This  locality  is  called  by  foreigners  the 
"  Tea-Gardens."  It  covers  several  acres,  and  is  filled 
with  pools,  zig-zag  bridges,  artificial  rock- work,  gro- 
tesque buildings  and  fancy  shops.  There  were  a 
dozen  gambling  tables  in  different  parts  of  this  open 
court,  thronged  with  persons  of  all  ages,  bent  on  im- 
proving their  slender  fortunes  by  throwing  dice. 
Besides  these,  were  several  other  catchpenny  contri- 
vances, jugglers,  showmen,  quack-doctors,  fortune- 
tellers, and  the  like,  calling  out  lustily  to  those  passing 
to  and  fro,  and  extolling  the  advantages  certainly  ac- 
cruing to  all  who  would  venture  a  few  copper  cash 
for  a  trial.     I  mounted  a  stone  railing  two  feet  high, 


L  . 


200  FIVE   YEARS   IN   CHINA. 

near  the  large  entrance  to  the  main  building,  and 
commenced  preaching.  The  crowds  at  the  gambling 
tables  soon  nocked  around  the  more  novel  spectacle 
of  a  foreigner  addressing  them  in  their  own  dialect — 
the  tables  in  the  immediate  vicinity  were  entirely 
deserted,  and  their  business  was  broken  up  for  the 
time,  though  it  was  probably  soon  resumed  after  the 
stranger  had  finished  his  harangue  and  departed.  I 
had  a  large  and  attentive  audience,  and  continued 
preaching  to  them  till  I  became  so  hoarse  that  it  was 
with  difficulty  those  a  little  distance  off  could  hear 
me,  and  then  ceased. 

May  9th. — Accompanied  Dr.  Medhurst  and  the 
Rev.  Wm.  Mnirhead  on  a  short  trip  in  their  mission 
boat  to  a  small  town,  called  Kiang  Wan,  about  five 
miles  distant  from  Shanghai.  The  day  was  fine,  and 
taking  the  tide  as  it  began  to  "  set  in  "  in  our  favor, 
we  passed  down  the  Hwang-poo  River,  in  front  of  the 
foreign  mercantile  establishments,  and  entered  a  small 
creek  just  at  the  residence  of  Bishop  Boone.  Our 
general  course  was  northerly,  but  in  "  making"  it, as 
the  sailors  say,  we  steered  to  every  point  of  the  com- 
pass— so  winding  was  the  stream.  It  was  quite  like 
many  of  the  rivers  in  the  low  country  of  the  southern 
States,  where  you  may  pole  a  boat  or  a  raft  the  whole 
day,  and  then  go  on  shore  and  camp  around  the  still 
burning  pine-knots  of  the  last  night's  fire,  when  you 
have  actually  travelled  by  water  twenty  or  thirty 
miles.  The  whole  face  of  the  country,  as  far  as  the 
eye  can  reach,  presents  a  waving  sea  of  wheat  and 
rye  .fields.  These  crops  are  this  year  very  abundant, 
and  they  are  now  just  beginning  to  exchange  their 
green  for  a  golden  hue.     Occasionally  we  see  small 


L 


EXTRACTS   FROM  JOURNAL.  201 

portions  of  ground  that  have  already  yielded  a  boun- 
tiful supply  of  spring  vegetables,  again  prepared 
and  planted  with  cotton.  The  mode  of  sowing  the 
seed  of  this  plant  differs  from  that  adopted  in  those 
sections  of  the  United  States  where  I  have  seen  it 
growing.  Instead  of  a  ridge,  the  Chinese  throw  up 
a  bed  about  six  feet  wide.  They  do  not  "  drill "  at 
all,  but  sow  broadcast.  Nor  do  they  cover  the  seed 
as  we  do ;  but  tramp  over  every  inch  of  the  beds 
with  their  bare  feet.  This  is  done  with  such  regular- 
ity, that  their  tracks  give  the  surface  of  the  ground 
the  appearance  of  a  piece  of  knitting  on  a  large  scale, 
wrought  with  the  "  herring-bone  stitch."  I  have 
never  yet  seen  the  stalk  here  more  than  two  feet 
high,  and  the  bolls  are  small  in  proportion.  They 
"  thin  it  out "  after  it  comes  up,  by  hoeing  out  the 
sprouts  where  they  are  found  growing  too  thickly  to 
thrive,  and  they  weed  it  in  the  same  way.  Nothing 
we  see  reminds  us  so  strongly  of  home,  as  the  men, 
women  and  children  picking  cotton  in  the  fall.  But 
all  this  is  quite  a  digression  ;  setting  out  in  a  boat,  I 
have  unexpectedly  landed  in  a  cotton  field ;  let  me 
get  back  to  the  boat  again. 

We  were  propelled  by  two  men  "  sculling  "  with  a 
large  oar  in  the  stern,  while  a  third  handled  his 
setting-pole  no  less  dexterously  on  the  bow.  But 
even  thus  well  manned,  we  can  only  navigate  in  the 
water,  not  in  mud.  So,  as  the  creek  has  become 
shallow,  and  the  boat  is  aground,  we  will  jump  into 
a  smaller  one  that  is  just  passing  our  own.  Two  of 
the  men  accompanying  us,  take  charge  of  a  large  bag 
of  tracts  and  books,  and  we  leave  one  in  charge  of 
the  boat.     We  soon  reach  Kiang-Wan,  on  the  north 

9* 


202  FIVE   YEAES   IN  CHINA. 

bank  of  the  creek,  and  after  paying  a  few  copper 
cash,  for  the  last  mile  or  two  of  our  trip  in  the  small 
boat,  go  on  shore,  and  proceed  toward  one  of  the 
temples,  distributing  tracts  and  books  to  those  who 
begin  to  crowd  around  us,  both  natives  of  the  place, 
and  persons  from  the  surrounding  country,  who  have 
come  in  to  burn  incense-sticks,  wax  candles,  and  gilt 
paper  before  the  idols,  in  honor  of  the  wife  of  the 
guardian  deity  of  the  town.  This,  they  say,  is  her 
birth-day,  and  they  assemble  annually  to  celebrate  it, 
on  the  twenty-eighth  day  of  the  third  month. 

Having  arrived  at  the  temple,  Dr.  Medhurst  bor- 
rowed a  small  wooden  bench  of  a  gambler  sitting 
near,  mounted  upon  it,  and  addressed  the  people. 
Mr.  Muirhead  followed  him,  and  then  we  went  to- 
ward a  temple  in  another  direction.  The  crowd  had 
by  this  time  become  so  numerous,  that  it  was  with 
difficulty  we  could  get  along  in  the  narrow  streets, 
and  so  eager  were  they  for  books,  that  they  often 
seized  them  in  our  hands,  and  it  required  some  exer- 
cise of  strength  to  prevent  their  taking  whole  hand- 
fuls  from  us  at  a  time.  We  soon  came  to  the  largest 
temple  in  the  place.  Here  was  a  gilt  image  of 
Buddha,  twelve  or  fourteen  feet  high,  in  a  sitting  pos- 
ture, occupying  the  centre  of  the  building,  while 
many  others,  representing  his  attendants,  stood 
around  the  sides.  These  were  all  heavily  gilt,  some- 
thing larger  than  the  human  figure,  and  mostly  had 
fierce  countenances,  while  the  face  of  Buddha  himself 
always  wears  a  placid  expression  of  imperturbable 
composure*  Standing  in  the  portico  of  this  temple, 
about  three  feet  higher  than  the  open  space  in  front, 
which  was  crowded  with  people,  Dr.  Medhurst  and 


EXTRACTS  FROM  JOURNAL.  203 

Mr.  Muirhead  again  preached,  and  I  followed  them — 
the  multitude  all  the  time  listening  attentively,  with- 
out appearing  in  the  least  fatigued.  Going  out  into 
the  streets  again,  which  were  nearly  impassable,  from 
the  immense  numbers  thronging  them,  we  distributed 
the  remainder  of  our  tracts,  and  coming  to  the  out- 
skirts of  the  town,  tried  to  get  a  boat  to  return  to  our 
own.  Failing  in  this,  Dr.  M.  thought  it  imprudent 
to  walk  so  far  under  a  scorching  sun  at  midday,  and 
sent  for  two  men  with  wheelbarrows. 

The  Chinese  wheelbarrow  is  a  strong  frame  six  feet 
long,  a  foot  and  a  half  wide  at  the  smaller  extremity, 
and  three  feet  and  a  half  at  the  handles.  The  wheel 
is  about  three  feet  in  diameter,  is  placed  nearly  in  the 
centre  of  the  frame,  above  which  it  projects  a  foot, 
and  is  covered  by  a  higher  frame-work  which  pre- 
vents the  lading  from  contact  with  it.  This  useful 
article  presents  an  odd  appearance  to  the  eye  of  a 
foreigner,  but  it  has  two  prominent  advantages  over 
the  wheelbarrows  in  America.  First,  the  position  of 
the  wheel  being  nearly  in  the  centre  of  gravity, 
enables  a  man  to  transport  a  much  heavier  load  with 
a  far  less  expenditure  of  strength  ;  and  secondly,  the 
large  size  of  the  wheel  facilitates  his  progress.  Now 
just  fancy  you  see  Dr.  Medhurst  and  myself  seated 
on  one  of  these  vehicles ;  him  on  the  right  and  me  on 
the  left,  of  the  wheel,  with  one  arm  resting  on  the 
frame  over  it,  and  holding  an  umbrella  between  us. 
Our  companion  had  the  other  entirely  to  himself. 
On  we  trundle,  making  ourselves  very  merry  at  the 
singular  figure  we  should  present  in  England  or 
America.  The  path  is,  for  the  most  part,  smooth, 
but  occasionally  is  so  far  the  reverse  that  we  give  a 


204  FIVE  YEARS   IN   CHINA. 

fair  personification  of  persons  in  an  ague-fit.  We 
also  now  and  then  speculate  on  the  probable  conse- 
quences to  ourselves,  in  case  the  wheel  should  run 
off  a  single,  long,  narrow  stone  which  forms  the  bridge 
over  a  ditch  we  are  crossing.  Notwithstanding  all, 
we  soon  reach  our  boat  in  safety,  give  the  men  their 
well-earned  cash,  and  are  now  "  homeward  bound." 
The  shaking  and  jolting  we  have  had,  has  given  our 
appetites  a  keen  edge  for  a  cold  lunch  of  roast  beef 
and  bread.  This  is  scarcely  finished  before  we  find 
ourselves  aground  again,  for  the  tide  has  left  us,  and 
we  have  no  other  resort  but  to  make  the  best  of  our 
way  on  foot  back  to  Shanghai.  As  we  are  all  accus- 
tomed to  this  primitive  mode  of  travelling,  it  is  no 
hardship  to  us.  Soon  the  masts  of  the  foreign  ship- 
ping appear  above  the  trees,  and  in  a  little  time  longer 
we  reach  our  homes  in  safety,  just  before  sunset. 


CHAPTER  XYL 

CHINESE   LANGUAGE — SCHOOLS — INVENTIONS — ODDITIES. 

Character  of  the  Language— Number  of  Characters — Radicals — Illus- 
tration— Native  Dictionaries — "  Four  Books  "  of  Confucius — Other 
Classics  and  Writers — Literature — Spoken  Dialects — "  Pidjin-Eng- 
lish  " — Schools — Singular  Mode  of  Studying  and  Reciting — School 
Text-Books — Manner  of  Writing — Of  Book-Making — Printing — 
Gunpowder — Mariners'  Compass — Chinese  History — Their  Ideas  of 
other  Countries — A  Native  "  Map  of  the  World  " — Amusing  Ab- 
surdities— Arithmetic — Book-Keeping — Literary  Degrees — Corrup- 
tion— Filial  Respect — Seat  of  Intelligence — "Peking  Gazette" — 
Postal  Arrangement — Mode  of  Reckoning  Time — u  Time-Sticks." 

The  language  of  China  is  no  less  unique  than  al- 
most everything  else  pertaining  to  that  country. 
There  is  no  other  like  it  among  the  languages  of  earth. 
The  nearest  approach  to  it  is  the  hieroglyphical  of  the 
ancient  Egyptians,  to  which  some  learned  and  curious 
philologists  have  traced  in  the  Chinese  certain  singu- 
lar resemblances,  as  well  as  between  these  two  nations 
in  some  other  particulars,  so  as  to  lead  them  to  the 
conclusion  that  at  some  period  in  remote  antiquity 
the  two  were  one  people ! 

The  Chinese  language  consists  of  44,000  different 
characters,  each  one  being  a  complete  word,  and  hav- 
ing its  own  separate  name  and  signification,  and  yet  it 
is  sadly  deficient  in  the  terms  necessary  to  define  the 
doctrines  of  the  Bible.   It  has  no  alphabet.    There  are, 


L 


206  FIVE  YEARS   IN   CHINA. 

however,  214  radicals,  or  key-characters,  some  one,  at 
least,  of  which  forms  a  part  of  every  other  character, 
in  the  whole  number.  They  are  all  so  well  arranged 
under  these  radicals,  by  the  native  lexicographers,  that 
any  word  in  the  language  can  be  found  in  a  few  minutes 
in  their  dictionaries,  with  its  name  and  full  meaning. 
I  do  not  know  that  any  clearer  conception  can  be 
imparted  than  to  imagine  our  alphabet  to  be  in- 
creased to  forty  thousand  characters,  each  one  having 
not  only  its  own  sound,  but  also  conveying  a  distinct 
idea.  Suppose,  then,  for  example,  that  A  means 
house,  that  B  means  fire,  that  C  means  table,  D,  chair 
— E,  wood — F,  truth,  and  so  on  through  all  the  thou- 
sands. Herein  consists  the  immense  difficulty  in  the 
acquisition  of  the  Chinese  written  language.  It 
makes  such  a  tremendous  demand  upon  the  memory 
to  commit  and  retain  a  sufficient  number  of  these 
characters  to  enable  you  to  read  the  native  books. 
Confucius  employed  in  his  writings,  comprised  in  the 
"  Four  Books,"  less  than  five  thousand ;  and  as  these 
are  the  standard  school-books  throughout  the  empire? 
those  five  thousand  are  more  generally  known  than 
any  of  the  rest.  Still  there  are  other  classics,  in 
which  others  occur,  which  must  also  be  learned  by 
the  pupil,  if  he  wishes  to  pursue  his  reading  beyond 
the  ordinary  schoolboy  limit.  For  here  let  me  state, 
that  it  is  surpassed  in  the  abundance  of  its  literature 
by  no  language  in  the  world.  It  has  historians, 
philosophers,  poets,  essayists,  naturalists,  novelists, 
and  dramatists,  without  number.  A  knowledge  of 
an  additional  five  thousand  characters  will  enable 
you  to  read  many  of  these.  The  translation  of  the 
Holy  Scriptures  in  that  language  contains  about  this 


CHINESE  LANGUAGE.  207 

number,  10,000.  The  Imperial  Catalogue  alone,  of 
these  productions,  is  in  itself  a  work  of  one  hundred 
and  twelve  octavo  volumes,  each  containing  about 
three  hundred  pages. 

There  is  no  Chinese  scholar  living  who  knows  all 
the  characters  in  his  own  language.  The  most  learned 
will  sometimes — especially  if  he  be  reading  an  un- 
common book — meet  with  a  character  the  name  of 
which  he  can  no  more  tell  than  you  can ;  but  he  sees 
which  one  of  the  two  hundred  and  fourteen  radicals 
enters  into  its  composition ;  he  then  resorts  to  the  list 
of  words  arranged  under  that  radical  in  his  dictionary 
— the  order  being  according  to  the  number  of 
strokes  of  the  pencil  required  to  form  them — from 
one,  besides  the  radical,  up  to  above  twenty.  There 
he  finds  both  the  name  of  the  character  indicated — 
by  means  of  others  with  which  he  is  familiar — and 
the  definition. 

The  spoken  language  is  different,  and  much  more 
easily  acquired.  It  is  divided  into  very  numerous 
local  dialects— some  of  them  so  diverse  that  a  man 
from  one  province  is  often  as  utterly  unable  to  under- 
stand one  from  another,  as  an  American  is  a  French- 
man whose  language  he  has  never  learned  ;  while,  at 
the  same  time,  they  both  can  read  the  same  books, 
and  communicate  with  perfect  ease  by  writing.  The 
court  dialect,  however,  or  mandarin,  as  it  is  called  by 
foreigners — being  the  official  language  of  the  realm — 
is  spoken  by  all  the  officers,  and  many  others,  through- 
out the  empire. 

At  Canton  an  abominable  jargon  has  sprung  up 
from  the  efforts  of  some  of  the  natives  to  learn  our 
language.     It  is  called  "pidjin  English" — "pidjin" 


208  FIVE   YEARS   IN   CHINA. 

being  their  pronunciation  of  the  word  "business." 
It  is  in  general  use  at  all  the  ports ;  but  so  uncouth 
and  barbarous  is  it,  that  to  learn  to  use  it  readily  is 
almost  as  difficult  as  to  acquire  the  true  dialect  itself. 
To  give  a  few  examples :  On  our  arrival  at  Hong- 
Kong,  having  occasion  to  call  at  the  residence  of  one 
of  our  countrymen,  I  asked  the  native  servant  who 

came  to  the  door  if  Mr. was  at  home.     "  Yes, 

sir,  top  side  have  got."  Not  comprehending  his 
reply,  I  repeated  the  question.  "  Yes,  sir — yes,  sir," 
said  he,  "  top  side  have  got ;"  at  the  same  time  point- 
ing upward.  I  then  understood  that  he  meant  up- 
stairs. Nearly  all  the  native  boats  and  junks  have 
large  eyes  painted  on  their  bows.  I  inquired  of  one 
who  professed  to  speak  English  what  was  the  design. 
Said  he :  "  S'pose  no  have  catchee  eye,  how  fashion 
can  see,  wanchee  walkee  water  ?"  That  is,  suppose  it 
has  no  eyes,  how  can  it  see  to  walk  on  the  water?  On 
asking  one  when  a  certain  ship  would  sail,  he  said : 
"I  tink  two  tree  piece  day  dat  ship  can  wTalkee." 
When  he  would  tell  you  that  he  does  not  understand 
any  particular  matter  or  business,  it  will  be,  *  Me  no 
savvee  dat  pidjin."  One  came  to  his  employer  on  a 
certain  occasion  to  ask  permission  to  go  and  perform 
the  funeral  rites  for  his  father,  who  had  just  died. 
The  request  ran  in  this  wise  :  "  My  one  piece  olo 
fader  have  makee  catchee  die ;  my  wanchee  go  do 
dat  coffin  pidjin  all  proper."  They  are  remarkably 
fond  of  having  articles  in  pairs.  Seeing  one  wearing 
two  watches,  one  in  each  breast  pocket,  on  the  out- 
side of  his  coat,  with  the  chains  dangling,  I  asked 
why  he  wore  more  than  one.  His  answer  was: 
"  S'posee  one  piece  catchee  sickee,  no  can  talkee,  dat 


SCHOOLS.  209 

udder  piece  can  talkee."  One,  announcing  the  birth 
of  a  female  infant,  and  not  knowing  the  proper  term 
in  English,  said :  "  My  one  piece  wifo  have  catchee 
one  piece  number  one  pretty  cow-chilo." 

Schools  are  numerous,  mostly  private.  A  man 
either  hires  a  room,  or  appropriates  one  in  his 
own  house  for  the  purpose.  He  then  goes  out  and 
solicits  his  neighbors  to  send  their  boys.  Girls  are 
rarely  taught  to  read,  though  if  the  teacher  himself 
have  daughters,  you  may  occasionally  see  them  in 
this  schoolroom  learning  with  the  boys,  simply 
because  it  is  convenient  and  costs  him  nothing. 
There  seems  to  be  no  special  objection  to  it,  except 
the  expense ;  but  it  is  not  regarded  as  at  all  impor- 
tant. In  the  families  of  the  wealthy,  who  generally 
employ  a  private  teacher,  the  girls  are  often  allowed 
to  study  with  the  boys. 

The  schoolroom  is  furnished  with  narrow  tables 
around  the  sides,  placed  with  one  end  to  the  wall, 
like  those  often  seen  in  eating-houses  in  this  country. 
Two  boys  sit  on  stools  at  each  side,  facing  each  other, 
with  their  books  lying  open  before  them  on  the  table. 
At  the  further  end  of  the  apartment,  is  the  table  of 
the  teacher,  on  which  is  a  tablet  inscribed  with  the 
name  of  Confucius,  and  over  it,  against  the  wall, 
hangs  a  picture  representing  the  god  of  literature, 
before  which  the  pupils,  individually,  bow  as  they 
■  come  into  the  school,  in  the  morning.  They  all  study 
aloud — at  the  very  top  of  the  voice,  and  accompa- 
nied by  an  incessant  and  violent  swaying  of  the 
body  to  and  fro,  creating  such  a  confusion  of  sounds 
as  one  would  think,  must  effectually  preclude  the 
possibility  of  learning ;  but  such  is  the  force  of  habit, 


L 


210  FIVE  YEARS   IN   CHINA. 

that  they  can  acquire  their  lessons  far  more  easily  in 
this  manner,  than  if  required  to  study  silently. 
When  a  boy  is  ready  to  recite,  the  teacher  calls  him 
up  and  asks,  "  can  you  back  the  book  ?"  This  expres- 
sion is  the  equivalent  of  "  can  you  repeat  your  les- 
son?" Then  the  pupil  turns  his  back  to  the  teacher 
and  rattles  off,  with  the  greatest  rapidity  of  utterance 
and  swing  of  body,  the  words  or  characters  he  has 
committed  to  memory,  often  without  knowing  their 
signification.  When  he  has  thus  learned  a  thousand 
or  more,  the  meaning  is  explained  by  the  teacher. 
The  whole  system  of  education  is  little  else  than  an 
exercise  of  the  memory.  Many  school-boys  of  fifteen 
or  sixteen  can  repeat  the  whole  "  four  books  "  of 
Confucius  besides  several  minor  works,  such  as  the 
"  Hundred  family  names,"  the  "  Three  character 
classic  "  and  the  "  Thousand  character  classic."  Wri- 
ting is  also  taught — the  pupil  beginning  soon  after 
his  first  attempt  in  committing  the  names  of  the 
characters.  The  former  process  indeed,  greatly  faci- 
litates the  latter.  The  effort  to  trace  the  characters 
with  the  pencil  assisting  to  fix  them  in  the  mind. 
The  pen  or  pencil,  is  a  delicately  pointed  brush,  of 
fine  hairs,  which  is  held  in  a  vertical  position.  The 
ink,  is  that  so  well  known  as  "  India  ink,"  and  is 
there  prepared  for  writing,  exactly  as  it  is  here  for 
painting — by  grinding  or  rubbing  it  with  a  little 
water  on  a  smooth  stone.  In  their  books  the  leaves 
are  folded  double,  the  fold  being  on  the  outer  edge, 
not  designed  to  be  cut,  as  they  are  printed  only  on 
one  side.  They  are  never  bound,  but  only  stitched 
in  thin  paper  covers  like  our  pamphlets.  Works 
comprising  several  volumes  are  carried  in  cases  of 


INVENTIONS.  211 

thick  pasteboard  covered  with  cloth.  You  begin  at 
what  would  be  to  us,  the  end  of  the  book,  and  read 
from  right  to  left  in  perpendicular  columns. 

Printing  is  an  exceedingly  simple  process,  per- 
formed entirely  without  machinery.  One  of  these 
double  pages  of  characters  is  neatly  written  on  thin 
paper  which  is  then  so  applied  to  a  perfectly  smooth 
piece  of  fine-grained  wood,  as  to  leave  in  ink,  a  dis- 
tinct impression  of  the  characters  on  its  surface. 
These  characters  are  then  carefully  followed  by  the 
letter  cutter,  who  removes  to  a  sufficient  depth,  with 
his  sharp  and  minute  chisels  and  gouges — all  the 
wood  not  covered  with  the  ink.  This  then  becomes 
a  wooden  stereotype  plate,  which  is  inked  on  its  letter 
surface  by  means  of  a  ball  of  cotton  covered  with 
cloth  or  leather.  A  sheet  of  moistened  paper  is 
taken  from  a  pile,  and  when  laid  upon  the  plate,  is 
pressed  by  a  brush  or  a  piece  of  cloth  being  passed 
lightly  over  it  with  the  hand.  The  sheet  is  then 
taken  off  and  the  operation  finished. 

The  three  great  inventions  that  have  exerted  a 
stronger  influence  than  any  other  in  the  civilization  of 
mankind — the  art  of  Printing,  Gunpowder  and  the 
Mariner's  Compass — all  claimed  by  Europe,  and  as 
comparatively  of  modern  date,  besides  many  other 
useful  arts — were  known  and  in  universal  use  by  the 
Chinese,  while  nearly  all  Europe  was  as  yet  a  wilder- 
ness of  savage  barbarians. 

Paper  was  invented  in  China,  in  the  year  of  our 
Lord  95.  The  mariner's  compass  was  first  mentioned 
a.d.  121.  Printing  was  invented,  a.d.  950.  The 
date  of  the  invention  of  gunpowder  is  not  known, 
but  there  is  abundant  reason  to  believe  it  was  equally 


212  FIVE  YEARS   IN   CHINA. 

ancient.  As  Marco  Polo,  the  Italian  traveller,  visited 
China  a.d.  1274,  there  is  but  little  doubt  that  he 
took  the  knowledge  of  the  magnetic  needle  back 
with  him  to  Europe,  and  the  invention  was  claimed, 
not  long  after  by  Italy. 

Chinese  history  contains  an  account  of  the  flood, 
differing  somewhat  in  its  details,  as  might  be  expect- 
ed, from  the  Mosaic  narrative  of  that  event ;  but  in 
time,  not  more  than  fifty  years  from  our  received 
chronology  of  the  deluge. 

The  ridiculous  self-conceit  of  the  Chinese,  in  regard- 
ing themselves  as  the  only  civilized  people  on  earth 
and  occupying  the  "  Central  Flowery  Land,"  while 
all  others  are  designated  as  "  outside  barbarians," 
has  suppressed  all  desire  to  learn  anything  of  the  his- 
tory or  geography  of  other  countries.  These  subjects, 
consequently  form  no  part  of  their  school-instruction. 
Maps  of  "  The  World  "  are  met  with,  in  five  sepa- 
rate scrolls,  to  be  hung  side  by  side,  forming  when 
thus  placed  together,  a  surface  of  about  five  feet 
square.  It  is  almost  entirely  filled  up  with  the 
"  Middle  Kingdom  "  while  a  few  insignificant  islands 
in  the  corners,  are  severally  called  America,  England, 
France,  Germany,  Russia,  Italy,  Spain,  Africa,  and 
so  on.  Peking  is,  in  their  estimation,  the  centre  of 
the  universe,  and  they  have  a  chart  which  represents 
mankind  as  not  only  being  less  and  less  civilized,  in 
proportion  to  their  distance  from  that  capital,  but 
also  as  actually  found  lacking  or  changed  in  some  of 
the  natural  features  of  a  human  being,  taking  their 
own  type  as  the  standard.  I  saw  on  this  chart  a  spe- 
cimen of  a  tribe,  supposed  to  dwell  some  thousands 
of  miles  from  Peking,  portrayed  as  having  but  one  eye, 


ODDITIES.  213 

and  that  in  the  middle  of  the  forehead  !  Another, 
at  a  still  longer  distance,  had  a  hole  through  the  mid- 
dle of  his  body,  through  which  a  pole  was  thrust, 
and  instead  of  requiring  a  sedan,  he  was  borne  along 
by  this  means,  on  the  shoulders  of  two  others  !  My 
old  teacher  remarked  that  it  must  be  a  very  conve- 
nient mode  of  locomotion,  and  gravely  asked  me  if 
such  a  people  existed  !  He  told  me  that  during  the 
war  with  Great  Britain  in  1842,  he  himself  read  offi- 
cial proclamations  that  were  posted  up  about  the  city 
of  Shanghai,  exhorting  the  people  to  a  courageous 
resistance  to  the  "  red  haired  devils  "  i.e.  the  British, 
who  had  no  joints  at  the  knees,  and  who,  when  once 
they  fell  down,  could  not  rise  again  to  their  feet,  and 
would  then  become  an  easy  prey !  Therefore  all  pos- 
sible obstructions  must  be  placed  in  their  path,  so  as 
to  throw  them  down ! 

A  system  of  arithmetic  is  taught  by  means  of 
small  wooden  balls,  sliding  on  small  sticks  or  wires, 
in  a  quadrilateral  frame.  This  is  an  abacus,  or 
"  counting  board,"  and  natives  who  are  expert  in  its 
use  can  perform  the  most  extensive  and  complicated 
calculations,  with  much  greater  rapidity  and  accu- 
racy, than  can  be  done  by  most  of  us  with  slate  and 
pencil.  You  will  see  one  of  these  on  the  counter  of 
every  shop  or  store.  They  also  have  a  very  perfect 
system  of  book-keeping — their  books  consisting  of  a 
blotter  or  day-book,  cash-book,  journal,  ledger  and 
such  others  as  the  peculiar  nature  of  the  business  may 
require — kept  with  the  utmost  neatness  and  exactitude. 

As  literary  merit  constitutes  the  highest  qualifica- 
tion for  official  station  in  the  government,  any  youth 
whose  circumstances  will  admit  of  it,  may  pursue  his 


214  FIVE  YEARS  IN   CHINA. 

studies  under  private  tutors  beyond  the  common 
school  curriculum,  and  present  himself  before  the 
appointed  officers  for  examination  for  his  first  degree. 
If  successful,  he  studies  and  exercises  himself  in  com- 
position, for  three  more  years,  when  he  may  appear 
at  the  triennial  examination  for  his  second  degree,  cor- 
responding to  that  of  Master  of  Arts.  If  he  pass 
this,  he  is  eligible  to  office ;  but  is  seldom  appointed 
to  any,  unless  he  have  friends  at  court,  or  money 
with  which  to  bribe  the  officers  who  should  present 
his  claim.  If  he  have  enough  of  it,  the  money  will 
suffice  without  the  prescribed  examination.  This, 
too,  often  procures  for  the  stupid  dolt,  the  use  of  the 
cultivated  brains  and  elegant  chirography — which  is 
regarded  as  no  less  important  than  style — of  some 
poor,  but  talented  scholar,  for  the  preparation  of  the 
essay,  on  which  he  floats  into  his  degree,  and  then 
into  office.  There  are,  however,  instances  in  which 
real  merit  has  been  recognized  and  rewarded.  A 
poor  boy  has  been  known  to  raise  himself,  by  the 
force  of  ability,  industry  and  perseverance,  to  the 
position  of  prime  minister. 

When  any  one  is  promoted  to  a  higher  degree  in 
letters — for  he  may  go  on  to  one  corresponding  to 
ours  of  LL.D. — or  in  office,  his  first  duty  is  to  go  to 
the  dwelling  of  his  parents,  however  obscure  they 
may  be,  if  living,  or  to  their  graves  if  dead — and 
prostrating  himself  on  the  gronnd  before  them,  wor- 
ship them  in  the  most  reverential  manner  and  pro- 
vide for  their  comfort  in  every  possible  way.  To 
such  an  extent  do  the  Chinese  carry  their  notions  of 
filial  obedience,  which,  indeed,  is  one  of  the  most 
marked  peculiarities  in  their  national  character. 


ODDITIES.  215 

The  Chinese  locate  the  intellect  in  the  stomach  !  A 
common  expression  for  a  man  of  mental  ability  is 
that  he  is  "  very  intelligent  in  his  stomach."  Where 
we  would  say  of  a  man,  that  he  is  clear-headed,  they 
say  he  is  "  exceedingly  clear  in  his  stomach."  And 
so  when  we  speak  of  a  man  putting  the  contents  of 
a  book  into  his  head,  they  call  it  "  eating  the  book 
and  hiding  it  in  his  stomach  ;"  and  thus  he  acquires 
"  a  bellyful  of  learning."  * 

The  only  newspaper  in  China  is  the  "  Peking 
Gazette,"  and  that  is  merely  a  court  journal,  issued 
with  no  regularity.  When  there  are  many  announce- 
ments of  the  imperial  will,  in  edicts,  proclamations, 
or  reports  of  official  documents  to  be  made,  it  may 
appear  daily  for  some  time.  Then  again  there  may 
be  none  for  several  days.  It  also  chronicles  the 
movements  of  the  emperor  himself.  While  famine, 
pestilence  or  civil  discord  prevail  in  the  empire,  he 
assumes  the  blame  to  himself,  and  going  with  great 
display  to  the  temples  where  he  worships,  prostrates 
himself  humbly  before  his  idols,  or  before  "  Hea- 
ven " — confesses  his  own  unworthiness  and  implores 
deliverance  for  his  subjects.  I  have  known  the  peo- 
ple also  to  echo  these  sentiments  and  sometimes  attri- 
bute any  general  distress  to  his  derelictions. 

There  is  quite  an  efficient  postal  arrangement  in 
most  parts  of  the  empire,  but  always  by  private  enter- 
prise, not  governmental.  Letters  are  transmitted  by  it 
with  much  certainty,  and  such  dispatch  as  can  be 
attained,  by  the  couriers  or  mail-carriers,  on  foot  or 
on  horseback.  Steam  as  a  motive  power  is  unknown 
among  the  Chinese,  except  as  they  have  seen  exhi- 
bitions of  it  in  the  vessels  of  foreigners.    So  also 


216  FIVE   TEARS   IN   CHINA. 

are  electricity  and  magnetism.  Nor  do  they  seem  in 
the  least  disposed  to  introduce  these  agents  into  their 
country.  A  chicken  feather  sticking  in  one  corner 
of  an  envelope,  signifies  the  same  as  the  words 
"  with  haste,"  written  on  it,  among  ourselves.  If 
the  feather  be  singed,  it  means  "  with  all  possible 
dispatch." 

In  reckoning  time,  the  Chinese  months  are  moons ; 
but  t&ey  regulate  the  length  of  the  year  by  the  sun 
— the  new  year  always  beginning  with  the  first  new 
moon  after  the  sun  enters  Aquarius,  which  is  between 
the  21st  of  January  and  the  20th  of  February. 
Their  year,  therefore,  though  generally  consisting  of 
twelve  months,  must  sometimes  have  a  thirteenth — an 
intercalary.  They  do  not  divide  time  into  weeks, 
and  have  no  Sabbath.  The  day  is  divided  into 
twelve  hours,  instead  of  twenty -four.  They  have  no 
clocks  nor  watches  except  as  they  have  been  intro- 
duced by  foreigners.  The  native  timepiece  is  a  spi- 
ral coil  of  slowly  combustible  material,  composed  of 
clay  and  fine  sawdust  mixed  with  some  adhesive  sub- 
stance and  dried.  It  resembles  a  brown  cord,  three- 
eighths  of  an  inch  in  diameter,  suspended  by  one  end 
from  the  roof  or  floor  above  and  marked  by  bits  of 
string  tied  around  it,  into  lengths,  each  of  which,  from 
its  known  uniformity  in  burning,  will  be  consumed 
in  just  one  hour ;  it  is  called  a  time-stick,  and  is  some- 
times long  enough  to  last  a  week. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

CHINESE   MILITARY — "ALL   SOULS'    DAY." 

A  Military  Review — Their  Uniform — Martial .  Music — Archers — An 
Incident  —  Fire- Arras  —  Match-locks  —  Jinjals  — A  Chastisement — 
Small  Arms— Shields — Gymnastics — Rewards — "AH  Soul's  Day  " — 
Its  Origin — Procession  of  Idols — They  take  an  Airing  in  Sedans — 
Burning  Gilt  Paper  to  provide  the  Dead  with  Money — Address  to 
the  Multitude. 

Sept  12, 1850. — A  Chinese  military  review  is  not  one 
of  the  least  singular  sights  in  this  singular  country. 
You  have  not  now  to  be  informed,  for  the  first  time, 
of  the  extremely  awkward  and  ludicrous  appearance 
of  a  Chinese  soldier.  To  begin  with  his  head — he 
wears  upon  it  a  cap  or  hat,  whatever  you  please  to 
call  it,  of  conical  shape,  having  a  tuft  of  horse  hair, 
dyed  red,  fastened  on  the  top,  and  hanging  down  its 
sides.  In  full  dress  uniform,  he  wears  a  clumsy 
quilted  garment,  wadded  with  cotton.  It  extends 
below  the  knees,  and  on  the  back  is  a  large  round 
patch  of  white,  which  has  inscribed  upon  it,  in  flam- 
ing red,  the  character  signifying  "  bravery."  This, 
of  course,  is  best  shown  to  the  enemy  by  running, 
and  they  have  seldom  failed  to  display  it  by  turning 
their  backs  in  every  engagement  with  foreign  troops. 
If  they  argue  from  the  maxim  that  "  discretion  is  the 
better  part  of  valor,"  they  are  right,  for  run  bravely, 

10 


218  FIVE  TEARS   IN  CHINA. 

they  certainly  do.  You  would  suppose,  by  the  vari- 
ety and  amount  of  terrific  noise  they  produce,  that 
they  relied  upon  the  hideous  din  of  their  gongs  and 
horns,  to  frighten  their  foes  to  death.  A  man  who 
had  a  very  delicate  sense  of  the  "  concord  of  sweet 
sounds  "  would  be  likely  to  dread  their  music  more 
than  their  bullets  or  projectiles. 

I  went  this  morning  to  see  one  of  these  martial  dis- 
plays ;  carrying  with  me,  however,  a  supply  of  mes- 
sengers of  peace,  in  the  form  of  tracts.     The  parade 
ground  is  a  large  open  space,  without  the  city  walls, 
on  the  south,  about  two  miles  from  my  residence. 
When  I  reached  the  spot,  the  archers — for  one  de- 
partment of  their  military  uses  bows  and  arrows — had 
finished  their  exercise,  and  two  of  the  three  mandarins 
present,  were  exhibiting  their  strength  and  skill  to 
the  admiring  crowd,  by  shooting  at  a  target  with  bows 
and  arrows  of  their  own.     Had  you  witnessed  the 
dexterity  of  these  officers  on  this  occasion,  you  would 
agree  with  me  in  the  opinion  that  the  safest  course  for 
one  to  take  who  wished  to  avoid  being  hit,  would  be 
to  go  and  stand  by  the  mark.     Just  as  one  had  dis- 
charged his  three  arrows,  he  discovered  me  among 
the  multitude,  by  my  foreign  dress,  and  beckoning  me 
toward  him,  took  by  the  hand,  and  seated  me  by  his 
side,  near  a  small  table.     I  was  admiring  the  work- 
manship of  a  bow  standing  against  the  table,  and  the 
mandarin  to  whom  it  belonged  requested  me  to  try 
it.    I  begged  him  to  excuse  me,  saying  that  I  had 
never  used  one  of  that  kind  ;  but  as  he  still  insisted, 
I  took  an  arrow,  placed  it  on  the  string,  and  sent  it 
away  whizzing  toward  the  mark,  which  it  missed  of 
course,  but  went  so  far  beyond  it  as  to  elicit  a  shout 


CHINESE  MILITARY.  219 

of  approbation  from  the  people  crowded  around. 
They  exclaimed,  "  The  foreigner's  strength  is  greater 
than  the  mandarin's  " — for  most  of  their  arrows  had 
fallen  short  of  the  mark.  My  courteous  friend  seemed 
a  little  mortified,  and  he  hastened  to  unstring  his  bow, 
while  the  people  said,  "  Let  the  foreigner  shoot  again — 
Let  the  foreigner  shoot  again."  He  did  not  seem  to 
hear  them,  but  hastily  ordered  a  cup  of  tea  for  me, 
and  taking  his  pipe,  filled  it  with  finely-cut  tobacco, 
lighted  it  by  drawing  a  puff  or  two  himself,  and  then 
wiping  the  mouth-piece  with  his  hand,  gave  it  to  me 
with  a  graceful  bow.  This  was  designed  as  a  compli- 
ment, and  not  liking  to  be  considered  rude  by  declin- 
ing it  so  publicly,  I  took  the  pipe  and  smoked  it  for  a 
few  seconds,  but  being  too  dull  to  appreciate  the  vir- 
tues of  the  "  divine  weed,"  unless  it  be  the  "  divinity 
that  stirs  within  us  "  to  the  unsettling  of  one's  break- 
fast, I  soon  returned  it  to  him,  when  he  used  it  with 
as  much  gusto  as  do  many  excellent  friends  of  mine, 
in  my  native  land. 

The  place  where  we  sat  was  a  permanent  platform, 
elevated  two  steps  above  the  level  of  the  ground,  and 
covered  with  a  roof.  Our  position  commanded  a 
view  of  the  whole  field,  and  the  attendants  of  the 
mandarin  kept  the  space  immediately  around  us,  open 
by  whacking  away  at  the  eager  multitude  with  large 
whips.  The  soldiers  bearing  fire-arms,  were  drawn  up 
in  readiness  for  an  exercise,  a  few  rods  distant.  Two 
large  yellow  flags,  with  serrated  edges,  were  planted 
at  either  extremity  of  the  line,  and  five  small  ones  of 
the  same  description,  at  equal  distances  apart,  be- 
tween the  two  larger  ones  and  a  little  in  the  rear. 
Never  having  been  initiated  into  the  sublime  mys- 


220  FIVE  YEARS   IN   CHINA. 

teries  of  militia  training,  I  am  at  a  loss  for  the  proper 
terms  by  which  to  describe  the  evolutions  that  were 
performed  on  the  occasion ;  but  at  a  given  signal  the 
gongs  and  horns  and  kettle-drums  sent  forth  their 
deafening  noise,  the  soldiers  formed  themselves  into 
a  variety  of  positions,  and  commenced  firing — first  all 
together,  then  in  platoons,  and  finally,  each  man  as 
fast  as  he  could  load  his  piece,  retiring,  as  soon  as  he 
had  discharged  it,  a  few  paces  to  the  rear — thus  keep- 
ing up  an  unbroken  succession  of  shots,  and  yet  with- 
out the  least  confusion.  They  certainly  were  well 
drilled.  Each  man  seemed  to  know  his  precise 
position,  and  fell  into  it  without  interrupting  his 
neighbor. 

The  match-locks  bore  some  general  resemblance  to 
a  musket,  but  were  exceedingly  clumsy.  The  barrel 
is  very  roughly  made,  and  the  muzzle  flares  out  like 
an  old-fashioned  blunderbuss.  It  has  nothing  that 
can  be  called  a  lock,  but  instead,  a  piece  of  iron  about 
fourteen  inches  long,  fastened  at  the  middle  by  a 
pin  to  the  breech-piece  half-way  from  the  pan  to  the 
end.  Working  upon  this  pin  or  pivot,  one  part  of 
the  iron  projects  below  and  backward,  while  the 
other  projects  above  and  forward,  having  its  end  bent 
downward  toward  the  pan.  The  end  is  forked  so  as 
to  hold  a  piece  of  burning  rope.  The  pan  is  filled 
with  powder,  and  provided  with  a  cover,  which  the 
soldier  takes  off  when  he  wishes  to  discharge  his  gun. 
The  lighted  rope  is  about  four  inches  above  the 
powder,  and  is  brought  into  contact  with  it  by  press- 
ing up  the  lower  end  of  the  iron  rod,  which  serves 
as  a  trigger.  A  spring  keeps  it  in  its  place.  From 
this  imperfect  description  you  can  discover  that  a 


CHINESE  MILITARY.  221 

Chinese  gun  is  a  miserably  awkward  affair.  There 
are  two  sizes,  but  of  similar  construction.  The  lar- 
ger which  is  called  by  foreigners  a  "jinjal,"  has  a 
barrel  of  two  inches  in  diameter,  and  requires  two 
men  to  handle  it — one  at  the  muzzle,  who  loads  and 
then  places  it  on  his  shoulder,  while  the  one  at  the 
breech  primes,  adjusts  the  match  and  discharges  the 
piece.  The  place  of  cartridges  is  supplied  by  many 
small  pieces  of  bamboo,  each  containing  the  quantity 
of  powder  necessary  for  a  single  load,  and  these  are 
carried  in  a  belt  around  the  waist.  The  Chinese 
manufactured  gunpowder  several  hundred  years  at 
least  before  it  was  discovered  by  Western  nations, 
but  from  ignorance  of  the  precise  chemical  proper- 
ties, as  well  as  of  the  proper  admixture  of  the  ingre- 
dients, they  cannot  graduate  it  to  any  given  strength. 
The  smaller  sized  matchlocks  have  a  forked  stick 
fastened  to  the  stock  near  the  muzzle  as  a  rest,  to  be 
used  when  the  soldier  fires,  kneeling.  One  poor 
fellow  accidentally  discharged  his  piece  before  the 
word  of  command  was  given,  and  my  friend,  the  re- 
viewing officer,  immediately  dispatched  an  attend- 
ant to  ascertain  who  it  was.  When  the  evolution 
was  finished,  he  was  led  up  before  the  mandarin  by 
two  men,  and  as  he  approached,  fell  on  his  knees, 
explaining  the  cause  of  the  accident  and  begging  for 
mercy.  He  was  severely  reproved  and  ordered  to  be 
punished.  His  cap  and  jacket  were  taken  off  and 
four  men  laid  him  on  the  ground  at  full  length,  on 
his  face.  They  then  bared  his  legs  at  the  thighs,  and 
a  man  with  a  wooden  paddle,  four  feet  long,  gave  him 
nine  blows  on  the  fleshy  part  of  the  thighs,  with 
sufficient  force  to  discolor  the  parts,  but  not  to  break 


222  FIVE  YEAES  IN   CHINA. 

the  skin.  He  groaned  piteously  during  the  inflic- 
tion, and  I  was  just  about  to  intercede  for  him  when 
he  was  released.  He  was  then  remanded  to  the  ranks, 
and  performed  his  part  in '  the  remainder  of  the 
exercise. 

Following  the  review  of  the  matchlock  department, 
came  that  of  soldiers  using  swords,  spears  and  shields. 
The  shields  are  round,  about  two  feet  in  diameter,  and 
made  of  ratan,  having  the  face  of  a  tiger  painted  on 
them  so  large  as  to  cover  the  whole  surface.  The 
performance  with  these  weapons  was  quite  amusing. 
Those  carrying  the  shields  showed  great  dexterity  in 
warding  off  the  blows  of  their  assailants.  They 
would  turn  somersets,  roll  over  on  the  ground,  and 
cut  all  sorts  of  antics  in  dodging,  while  their  antago- 
nists exerted  themselves  so  to  strike  as  not  to  hit. 
They  would  sometimes  so  arrange  themselves  that 
their  shields  would  form  a  pyramid  of  frightful 
tigers'  faces,  while  no  part  of  those  holding  them 
could  be  seen.  Then,  again,  they  would  separate, 
and  each  man  fall  down  upon  the  ground,  com- 
pletely covering  his  body  with  his  shield. 

When  the  whole  was  concluded,  the  reviewing 
officer  distributed  rewards  for  conspicuous  activity 
and  skill,  as  promptly  as  he  had  before  inflicted 
punishment  for  remissness.  To  the  man  who  turned 
the  best  somerset  he  gave  two  hundred  copper  cash, 
equal  in  value  to  thirteen  cents. 

On  leaving,  I  gave  tracts  to  each  of  the  three  man- 
darins, and  disposed  of  all  the  rest  in  my  possession, 
to  the  people  who  crowded  around  me,  and  to  others 
whom  I  met  on  my  way  home. 

Hearing  a  gong  sounded   ak>ng  the  streets  one 


r."  223 

morning,  and  inquiring  the  cause,  I  was  told  that  on 
that  day — the  middle  of  the  seventh  month,  by  Chi- 
nese reckoning,  every  family  was  expected  to  con- 
tribute a  quota  of  gilt  paper,  to  be  transformed  into 
money  by  the  action  of  fire,  for  the  use  of  those 
spirits  in  the  other  world,  who  had  no  near  relatives 
or  friends  living,  to  keep  them  in  funds.  It  was  an 
"All-souls  "  day.  The  origin  of  the  custom  I  learned 
to  be  as  follows:  The  first  monarch  of  the  Ming 
dynasty  was  born  of  very  poor  and  obscure  parents, 
but  by  means  of  his  vigorous  abilities  overcame  the 
untoward  circumstances  of  birth  and  fortune,  and 
finally  reached  the  throne.  His  parents  died  during 
his  childhood,  and  he  was  never  able  to  ascertain  the 
place  of  their  burial,  so  upon  his  accession  to  power, 
being  desirous  to  sacrifice  to  his  ancestors,  he  com- 
manded his  officers  throughout  the  empire  to  prepare 
offerings,  and  burn  paper  money  in  every  place,  so 
that  he  might  be  certain  they  would,  at  some  place 
or  other,  Wherever  their  shades  might  be,  get  a  por- 
tion of  what  was  designed  for  them,  and  thus  not  be 
left  unprovided  for  in  the  spirit-land.  This,  it  is  said, 
occurred  about  five  hundred  years  ago,  and  thus  ori- 
ginated the  practice  of  making  offerings  for  the 
ghosts  of  all  who  die  away  from  home,  and  whose 
friends  never  know  the  place  of  their  sepulture.  This 
custom  is  observed  three  times  a  year.  The  gilt 
paper  collected  during  the  day  is  strung  on  long 
bamboo  poles,  and  at  night  is  carried  to  the  many 
burial-grounds  in  and  around  the  city,  and  burned 
at  every  few  rods  all  along  the  streets  and  paths,  so 
as  to  give  every  forlorn  spirit  a  share,  wherever  it 
may  roam.     Some  carrying  torch«  and  lanterns,  and 


224  .         FIVE  YEARS   IN   CHINA. 

some  playing  on  various  kinds  of  musical  instruments, 
give  the  procession  quite  an  imposing  appearance  in 
the  darkness  of  the  night,  as  they  wend  their  way 
among  the  solitary  dwellings  of  the  dead. 

On  the  same  days,  but  without  any  apparent  con- 
nection between  the  ceremonies,  fi.ve  of  the  principal 
idols  in  the  city  are  taken  from  the  chief  temple, 
placed  in    large    sedan-chairs    and    carried    about 
through  the  principal  streets  during  the  day,  and  at 
nightfall  are  brought  to  a  small  temple  on  the  north 
bank  of  the  Yang-king-pang,  outside  the  north  gate. 
Men  dressed  in  the  fantastic  costumes  of  former  ages, 
some  carrying  flags  and  red  wooden  tablets  on  poles, 
containing  inscriptions  in  large  gilt  characters — some 
with  gongs,  others  with  long  pieces  of  bamboo  rat- 
tling along  on  the  pavements,  and  others  still,  carry- 
ing large  lanterns,  follow  in  the  train  of  these  idols 
as  their  attendants.     Besides  these,  are  large  numbers 
of  persons  of  both  sexes  and  all  ages,  with  dishevelled 
hair,  wearing  red  garments  from  head  to  foot,  hav- 
ing iron  chains  around  their  necks,  and  handcuffed  ; 
the  poorer  walking,  and  those  who   can   afford   it, 
riding  in  sedans.     These  all  are  persons  who,  having 
been  sick,  have  vowed  to  the  idols  that  if  they  re- 
covered, they  would  regard  themselves  as  criminals, 
deserving  to  be  punished,  but  spared  through  the 
compassion  of  the  gods ;  and  they  follow  in  the  pro- 
cession in  this  attire,  in   fulfillment  of  their  vows. 
Besides  these,  multitudes  of  people  crowd  the  streets 
through  which  the  procession  passes,  to  witness  the 
scene.     The  occasion  is  a  general  holiday  throughout 
the  city.    Toward  night,  I  went  to  the  small  temple 
above  mentioned^  and  found  the  place  thronged. 


r."  225 

One  idol  had  already  been  brought  in.  As  the  others 
approached  one  after  another,  at  short  intervals,  the 
attendants  who  followed  them,  shouted  and  prostrated 
themselves  on  the  ground.  Then,  as  each  idol  was 
placed  with  its  sedan  in  the  position  assigned  to  it, 
small  tables  filled  with  a  variety  of  articles  of  choice 
kinds  of  food  were  set  before  them  as  offerings,  with 
the  belief  that  the  god  actually  feasted  upon  what 
was  set  before  him.  If  he  did,  he  was  satisfied  with 
a  marvellously  small  quantity,  or  else  the  same  food 
was  eaten  twice,  for  it  is  certain  that  the  lonafide 
flesh  and  blood  attendants  of  his  godship  ate  it  after- 
ward, doubtless  without  perceiving  any  diminution. 
The  usual  accompaniments  of  gilt  paper,  incense 
sticks  and  red  wax  candles,  were  burnt  in  profusion, 
while  hundreds  of  these  poor  deluded  heathen  came 
and  worshipped  most  devoutly  before  their  senseless 
blocks.  A  mandarin  with  his  train,  who  it  seems 
was  master  of  ceremonies,  came  in  about  sunset,  and 
prostrated  himself,  bowing  his  head  to  the  ground 
nine  times,  before  each  of  the  five  idols  separately, 
and  just  at  this  juncture,  the  many  strings  of  gilt 
paper  collected  through  the  day,  forming  a  pile  eight 
or  nine  feet  high,  were  set  on  fire  outside  the  temple, 
a  little  to  the  eastward  of  the  entrance.  I  experi- 
enced a  feeling  something  akin  to  what  Paul  felt, 
when,  at  Athens,  he  saw  the  whole  city  given  to  idol- 
atry— my  spirit  was  stirred  within  me,  and  taking  my 
position  in  the  open  space  with  the  chief  idol  in  front 
of  me,  and  the  other  two  on  either  hand,  I  distributed 
to  the  people  crowding  around  me  the  tracts  I  had 
taken  with  me,  and  declared  to  them  the  absolute 
folly  and  wickedness  of  these  superstitious  practices, 

10* 


226  FIVE  YEAES   IN   CHINA. 

the  utter  uselessness  of  their  idols — that  there  is  but 
one  God  who  made  all  things,  and  that  He  only  de- 
served their  worship  and  service — that  He  so  loved 
them  as  to  give  his  Son  Jesus  to  save  them  from 
eternal  punishment.  They  listened  attentively,  and 
asked  me  many  questions  as  I  talked  to  them  and 
with  them  till  dark,  and  then  turned  my  steps  home- 
ward with  a  burdened,  sorrowful  heart,  praying  as  I 
went,  that  what  few  seeds  of  truth  had  been  sown  in 
weakness  might  be  raised  in  power.  But  alas ! 
sighed  I,  when,  oh  when  will  this  multitudinous 
people  become  the  people  of  the  Lord — when  will 
they  be  persuaded  that  there  is  no  other  way  by 
which  they  can  be  saved  but  through  Jesus  Christ  ? 
Then  again,  I  comforted  myself  with  the  reflection 
that  the  work  was  the  work  of  the  Lord,  and  that  He 
had  the  power  to  bring  it  to  a  speedier  fulfillment 
than  the  strongest  aspirations  of  my  slow  faith  dared 
hope  for.  But  He  will  accomplish  it  in  due  time — 
it  is  a  small  thing  with  the  Lord  to  save  by  many  or 
by  few — it  is  not  by  might  nor  by  power,  but  by  my 
Spirit,  saith  the  Lord  of  Hosts.  Therefore  I  thanked 
God  and  took  courage. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

INFANTICIDE  —  CHARITABLE  INSTITUTIONS RELIGIONS 

THEATRICALS OPPOSITES. 

Infanticide — Causes — Extent — Foundling  Hospital— Native  Dispensary 
— Charity  Schools — Three  Forms  of  Idolatry — Confucius  and  his 
System — Mencius — Tauism — Buddhism — Time  and  Mode  of  its  In- 
troduction into  China — Tenets — A  Recluse — Ideas  of  a  Future 
State — Resemblance  to  Romanism — Various  Deities — Pagodas — 
Lung-hwa-tah — Native  Theatricals — Odd  Difference's. 

Infanticide  is  not  so  generally  prevalent  in  China 
as  has  been  supposed,  though  it  is  doubtless  practised 
to  a  considerable  extent  in  certain  populous,  and  at 
the  same  time  not  very  fertile  districts.  At  Canton, 
so  far  as  careful  investigation  has  been  able  to  deter- 
mine, the  practice  is  by  no  means  common.  In  like 
manner,  minute  inquiry  at  Shanghai  has  satisfied  me 
that  it  is  quite  rare  in  that  city  also.  But  at  Amoy,  and 
some  other  cities  in' the  province  of  Foh-kien,  it  has 
prevailed  to  a  shocking  degree.  Nor  do  the  people 
attempt  to  conceal  the  fact,  admitting  that  in  some 
places,  as  many  as  half  the  female  infants  are  de- 
stroyed. The  reason  assigned  is  inability  on  the  part 
of  the  parents  to  support  them. 

At  Shanghai  there  is  a  regular  Foundling  Hospital. 
By  the  side  of  the  door,  in  a  little  recess,  on  the 
narrow  street  in  which  it  is  situated,  is  a  large  drawer 


228  FIVE   YEAES   IN   CHINA. 

extending  through  the  thick,  brick  wall,  so  that  it  can 
be  opened  on  either  side.  The  mother  brings  -her 
babe,  with  its  name  and  age  written  on  a  bit  of  paper, 
attached  to  its  dress,  and  depositing  it  in  the  drawer, 
shuts  it  and  gives  two  or  three  loud  raps  on  a  piece 
of  bamboo,  placed  there  for  the  purpose,  with  a  stick 
which  hangs  at  its  side.  She  then  retires  a  few  yards, 
and  watching  the  drawer,  presently  sees  it  drawn 
through  on  the  inside,  and  then  departs.  The  infant 
is  taken  to  the  superintendent  of  the  establishment, 
who  has  its  name,  age  and  time  of  reception  care- 
fully recorded.  It  is  then  thoroughly  washed  and 
comfortably  dressed,  if  it  be  not  so  already — and 
handed  over  to  a  nurse.  When  I  visited  the  hospital 
it  was  remarkably  clean  and  orderly,  everything 
being  done  in  the  most  systematic  manner.  It  was 
not  a  very  large  establishment,  there  being  but  about 
forty  children  there  at  that  time.  "When  they  become 
old  enough  to  be  at  all  serviceable,  they  are  appren- 
ticed as  servants  to  families  who  apply  for  them,  and 
some  are  given  to  Buddhist  nunneries.  Many  of 
them  are  diseased,  and  many  die  in  infancy.  This 
hospital  is  supported  by  the  charity  of  the  wealthy. 

There  are  also  one  or  two  native  dispensaries,  to 
which  the  poor  may  resort  on  the  first  and  fifteenth 
of  each  month,  and  receive  medical  aid  gratuitously. 
They  are  sustained  in  the  same  manner,  and  on  the 
appointed  days  are  thronged  with  applicants. 

Then  there  are,  besides,  charity  schools,  to  which 
parents  who  are  unable  to  pay  tuition  may  send  their 
sons  free  of  charge.  These  all  are  redeeming  features 
in  this  land  of  selfishness  and  idolatry ;  and  show 
that  even  the  Chinese  are  not  entirely  destitute  of 


RELIGIONS.  229 

humane  impulses,  nor  altogether  lacking  in  benevo- 
lent enterprises. 

The  three  leading  forms  of  Chinese  idolatry  are 
Confucianism,  Tauism,  and  Buddhism.  The  first  con- 
sists in  the  worship  of  their  great  philosopher,  Con- 
fucius, or  more  correctly,  Koong-foo-tsz,  which  the 
Jesuits  latinized  into  "  Confucius."  (A  facetious 
friend  of  ours — a  noble  and  pious  shipmaster,  Cap- 
tain Noah  Webber,  who  frequently  visited  us  on  his 
voyages,  persisted  in  still  further  anglicizing  it — he 
called  it,  not  inappropriately  either,  "  Confuse-us.") 
So  also  did  they  the  name  of  Mang-tsz — another  noted 
philosopher  who  lived  a  hundred  years  later  than 
the  former — it  is  now  known  among  foreigners  as 
"  Mencius."  But  the  Chinese  would  never  recognize 
either  of  them  by  these  modern  names.  Confucius 
flourished  about  500  years  before  the  Christian  era, 
and  gave  utterance  to  some  very  excellent  moral  pre- 
cepts, to  apply  in  the  different  relations  between  man 
and  man,  but  nothing  more.  His  whole  system  is  a 
mere  materialism.  He  studiously  avoids  reference 
to  a  spiritual  or  future  life.  His  writings  are  still  the 
standard  of  style  and  sentiment  among  the  literati  of 
the  nation,  by  whom  he  is  mostly  worshipped.  There 
is  a  temple  to  his  memory  in  every  city,  and  in  many 
other  places  throughout  the  empire.  They  contain  no 
image  of  the  sage,  but  simply  tablets  inscribed  with 
his  name,  and  two  other  characters  signifying  "  spi- 
ritual residence,"  before  which  offerings  of  slain 
animals  are  made,  and  worship  is  performed. 

The  second  system,  Tauism,  was  originally  a  com- 
bination of  rationalism  and  mysticism.  Its  name, 
Tau,  signifies  Keason,  and  is  taken  from  the  only 


230  FIVE  YEAES  IN   CHINA. 

work — Tau-teh-kiDg — "  Keason  and  Virtue  Classic  " 
— written  by  its  founder,  Lau-tsz,  who  was  born  b.c. 
604,  and  was  nearly  contemporary  with  Confucius, 
who   was  born  b.c.   550.     His   doctrine,  was,  that 
Eeason  originated  all  things,  itself  being  self-existent 
and  eternal,  and  that  all  good  beings  will  finally 
return  to  the  bosom  of  Eternal  Keason,  while  the  bad 
will  be  doomed  to  successive  births  among  men.   He 
recommended,  by  precept  and  example,  a  life  of  re- 
tirement and  seclusion,  passed  in  subjugation  of  the 
passions,   and    in    meditations    upon  Virtue.     The 
Tauist  temples  in  China  are  filled  with  idols,  among 
which  a  trio,  called  the  "  Three  Pure  Ones,"  always 
occupies  the  most  conspicuous  position.     The  Tauist 
priests  profess  to  have  constant  intercourse  with  the 
invisible  world,  which  they  have  peopled  with  spirits 
and  demons.     I  once  saw  one  of  them  violently  cut- 
ting, slashing  and  thrusting  the  air  with  a  sword,  as 
if  in  actual  combat  with  an  unseen  adversary.     This 
was  a  part  of  the  ceremony  in  exorcising  evil  spirits. 
The  third,  and  by  far  the  most  popular  system,  is 
Buddhism.     The  manner  of  its  introduction  was  re- 
markable.    In  the  year  of  our  Lord  65,  the  Emperor 
Ming  dreamed  that  a  personage,  whose  face  shone 
with  the  most  dazzling  brightness,  and  whose  raiment 
gleamed  with  an  unearthly  splendor,  appeared  to  him 
and  directed  him  to'  send  to  the  westward,  where  he 
would  find  a  new  religion,  which  he  must  introduce 
into  his  empire.   In  the  morning,  he  immediately  dis- 
patched an  embassy  in  search  of  the  faith  that  had  been 
indicated  to  him.     The  messengers  travelled  on  west- 
ward, till  they  came  to  India,  where,  falling  in  with 
Buddhist  priests,  were  persuaded  by  them,  that  theirs 


RELIGIONS.  231 

was  the  system  designated  in  the  dream  of  the  em- 
peror. Accordingly,  the  embassy  returned  to  China, 
accompanied  by  some  of  these  priests,  with  their 
idols  and  sacred  books,  and  thus  it  was  introduced. 
One  cannot  help  being  filled  with  amazement,  as  well 
as  regret,  that  these  messengers  were  not  allowed 
to  proceed  without  this  disastrous  interruption;  in 
which  event,  they  would  probably  have  reached 
Judea,  and  in  that  case,  the  religion  of  Jesus  might 
soon,  perhaps,  have  become  even  more  universal  in 
China,  than  did  Buddhism.  It  was  a  wonderful  coin- 
cidence, too,  that  the  title  of  the  emperor  on  the 
throne  at  the  time  of  the  advent  of  our  Lord,  was 
Ping,  meaning  Peace. 

Among  the  leading  tenets  of  Buddhism,  with  its 
multitudinous  idols,  are  the  transmigration  of  souls, 
and  final  absorption  into  Buddha,  or  in  other  words, 
annihilation.  Some  of  its  moral  precepts  are  excel- 
lent, and  like  Tauism,  it  teaches  to  restrain  the  appe- 
tites and  subdue  the  passions.  Its  followers  believe 
that  they  can  acquire  merit  by  repeating  the  words 
"  O-me-to-fuh" — the  name  of  Buddha  in  Sanscrit, 
and  several  other  sentences  in  the  same  language,  not 
one  word  of  which  do  any  of  them  understand — and 
by  self-mortification.  At  a  monastery,  about  forty 
miles  west  from  Shanghai,  I  saw  a  Buddhist  priest  in 
a  room  about  ten  feet  square,  which  contained  a  small 
gilded  image  of  his  idol  on  a  table,  and  a  seat  about 
two  and  a  half  feet  square,  on  which  he  sat  cross- 
legged  for  repose.  The  door  was  barred,  locked,  and 
sealed,  by  strips  of  red  paper  bearing  the  date  of  his 
entrance,  and  the  signature  of  a  high  mandarin  in  the 
large  neighboring  city  of  Soong-kiang — pasted  over 


232  FIVE   YEARS   IN   CHINA. 

the  locks  and  bars.  I  conversed  with  him  through  an 
opening  in  the  wall  about  ten  inches  square,  by  the 
side  of  the  door,  through  which  also  his  wants  were 
supplied  by  his  brother  priests.  He  had  entered  to 
pass  five  years  in  devotion.  Three  of  these  had  ex- 
pired, in  all  which  time,  he  told  me  he  had  never 
once  lain  down,  but  had  slept  only  in  the  sitting  pos- 
ture. On  the  top  of  his  head  were  nine  deep  circular 
scars,  about  the  size  of  a  half  dime,  in  rows  of  three 
in  each,  produced  by  allowing  the  moxa — a  small 
cone  of  slowly  combustible  material,  lighted  at  the 
apex,  to  burn  down  into  the  skin  till  it  was  entirely 
consumed.  His  seat  was  surrounded  by  a  musquito- 
curtain — musquito  bites  being  a  description  of  torture 
not  down  on  his  programme.  His  object  in  going  into 
this  seclusion,  was  to  acquire  a  degree  of  merit,  that 
would  recommend  him  to  the  favorable  regard  of  the 
people,  whom  he  intended  to  solicit  for  money,  to 
enable  him  to  repair  a  part  of  the  temple,  which 
had  fallen  into  ruin. 

They  believe  in  a  beautiful  paradise  for  the  good 
in  the  future  world,  where  they  will  dwell  until  gra- 
dually absorbed  into  Buddha,  who  himself  has  be- 
come an  ethereal  nothing — this  will  be  the  consum- 
mation of  bliss.  Their  description  of  the  punishments 
of  the  wicked  are  sufficiently  horrible.  I  have  seen 
them  represented  both  in  paintings  and  in  figures 
wrought  in  clay.  The  latter  particularly,  at  a  new 
and  elaborately  ornamented  temple  called  the  "  Bril- 
liant Happiness  Monastery,"  within  the  north  gate,  in 
the  city  of  Shanghai.  The  executioners  are  monstrous 
demons  with  horns  and  tails,  and  have  knives,  swords, 
spears,  pitchforks,  clubs,  saws,  and  axes.     The  vie- 


RELIGIONS.  233 

tims  are  thrown  upon  mountains  covered  with 
sharpened  spikes ;  into  caldrons  of  boiling  pitch,  and 
into  flaming  furnaces.  They  are  sawn  asunder,  being 
bound,  feet  upward,  between  two  upright  iron  pil- 
lars ;  others  are  strangled,  have  their  tongues  cut  out, 
are  exposed  to  the  most  intense  cold,  and  then  trans- 
ferred to  burning  flames.  Others  are  seen  beginning 
to  assume  the  forms  of  the  animals  in  which  they  are 
doomed  to  appear  again  on  earth,  after  the  metem- 
psychosis. There  is  even  a  huge  mill  into  which 
some  wretches  are  thrown,  while  a  monster  turns  the 
crank,  and  thus  they  are  ground  over,  coming  out 
hogs,  horses,  goats,  oxen,  etc.  Melted  lead  is  poured 
down  the  throats  of  some  ;  the  flesh  is  torn  off  from 
others  with  pincers ;  and  others  still  are  roasted  on 
spits  and  gridirons. 

Many  of  their  forms  and  ceremonies  are  so  similar 
to  those  of  popery,  that  one  of  the  first  Romish  mis- 
sionaries who  came  to  China,  wrote  back  to  Italy  that 
he  believed  Buddhism  an  invention  of  the  devil  as 
a  caricature  of  the  "  true  faith."  The  points  of  re- 
semblance are  many  and  striking.  Common  to  both, 
are  monasteries  and  nunneries ;  the  worship  of 
images  and  sacred  relics  ;  canonization  of  saints ;  the 
celibacy  of  the  priesthood  ;  the  tonsure,  or  shaving  of 
the  head,  and  their  singularity  of  dress ;  the  use  of 
incense,  wax  candles,  holy  water  and  bells,  in  their 
worship  ;  numbering  their  prayers  by  counting  the 
beads  of  a  rosary  ;  the  ritual  in  an  unknown  language ; 
"vain  repetitions;"  the  doctrine  of  purgatory,  from 
which  souls  may  be  delivered  by  the  prayers  of 
priests ;  charms  and  amulets ;  the  pretension  to 
miracles ;  works  of  merit  and  supererogation  ;  pen- 


234  FIVE   YEARS   IN   CHINA. 

ance;  the  imposing  array  of  paraphernalia  about 
their  altars;  the  titles  of  their  intercessors — the 
"  Queen  of  Heaven,"  "  Goddess  of  mercy,"  "  Holy 
Mother,"  and  even  worshipping  the  figure  of  a  virgin, 
holding  an  infant  in  her  arms. 

Among  the  many  idols  in  the  native  temples,  there 
is  one  called  the  "  god  of  thunder."  He  is  repre- 
sented as  causing  thunder  by  beating  on  gigantic 
kettle-drums,  while  another,  the  "  goddess  of  light- 
ning," stands  holding  in  each  hand  a  mirror,  which, 
turned  rapidly  toward  the  sun,  produces  lightning. 

There  is  in  Shanghai  a  temple  containing  thirteen 
wooden  idols,  one  for  each  month  in  the  year,  which 
the  natives  call  the  "  Flower  gods."  These,  they 
believe,  preside  over  the  flowers,  and  they  worship 
them  by  placing  the  choicest  of  their  flowers  before 
them  on  their  birthdays. 

There,  too,  among  many  others,  is  a  large  and 
costly  temple  of  the  "  god  of  fire."  And  then,  there 
are  numberless  smaller  ones,  in  the  niches  of  walls 
along  streets,  and  at  bridges.  There  are  gods  of 
mountains,  hills,  valleys  and  plains  ;  of  seas,  lakes, 
rivers,  creeks  and  canals  ;  of  families,  schools,  shops 
and  kitchens;  but  it  is  useless  to  attempt  to  enume- 
rate them.  It  has  been  estimated  that  the  Chinese 
worship  at  least  30,000  !  Among  the  numerous  gilt- 
lettered  signs  that  hang  vertically  from  the  eaves  by 
the  side  of  shop-doors,  along  the  streets,  may  be  seen, 
now  and  then,  one  inscribed  "gods  made  and  sold 
here? 

Octagonal  towers  or  pagodas  are  built  in  certain 
localities  to  ward  off  evil  influences,  and  to  secure 
health  and  prosperity;    they  always  contain  idols. 


THEATRICALS.  235 

There  is  a  handsome  structure  of  this  description, 
about  six  miles  from  Shanghai,  called  Loong-hwa-tah — 
"  Dragon-flower  pagoda."  It  is  seven  stories  high, 
and  has  suspended  from  the  curved-up  corners  o,f  its 
seven  projecting  roofs,  bells  which  tinkle  sweetly 
when  moved  by  the  wind.  » 

Theatrical  representations  are  given  in  honor  of 
the  gods.  The  stage  is  a  platform  ten  or  twelve  feet 
high,  directly  over  the  entrance  to  the  spacious  court- 
yard of  the  open  temple  ;  consequently  the  exhibi- 
tion is  in  front  of  the  idols,  and  they  are  supposed  to 
enjoy  the  scene.  The  two  sides  of  the  court  are  lined 
with  two-story  buildings,  the  lower  being  occupied  as 
shops,  and  the  upper  as  stalls,  which  are  occupied, 
during  the  performance,  by  females,  who  are  present 
to  witness  the  play.  The  whole  court,  which  is  paved 
with  well-hewn  stone,  is  crowded  with  spectators,  for 
there  is  never  any  charge  for  witnessing  the  perform- 
ance. The  entire  expense  is  defrayed  by  some  wealthy 
merchant,  perhaps,  who,  on  engaging  in  some  specu- 
lation, came  to  this  temple,  and,  worshipping  the 
idols,  made  a  vow  that  if  he  should  be  successful,  he 
would  give  a  theatrical  exhibition  in  honor  of  these 
deities.  Many  of  the  plays  are  well  written,  but  the 
performance  is  the  veriest  burlesque  that  can  be  con- 
ceived. There  is  no  illusion  whatever,  and  there  are 
seldom,  if  ever,  any  curtains  or  painted  scenes.  All 
the  actors  are  in  full  view  of  the  audience  throughout 
the  entire  play.  When  not  taking  part,  they  are 
standing  aside,  laughing  and  talking,  drinking  tea  or 
smoking.  In  uttering  the  words  of  the  piece,  no 
natural  tone  of  voice  is  ever  heard — it  is  always  a 
disagreeable,  nasal  wThine.    The  same  may  be  said  of 


236  FIVE  YEARS   IN   CHINA. 

the  native  singing,  in  which  the  whine  becomes  a 
high,  falsetto  squeal.  There  is  much  pantomime,  and 
a  vast  amount  is  left  to  be  supplied  by  the  imagina- 
tion of  the  spectator. 

The  Chinese  are  our  antipodes  not  only  in  geograph- 
ical position,  but  they  do  so  many  things  in  a  manner 
directly  the  reverse  of  our  own  modes,  that  a  most 
amusing  chapter  might  be  written  on  these  points  of 
difference.  The  following  are  some  of  the  particu- 
lars :  They  shave  the  hair  from  the  head  instead  of 
that  on  the  face,  after  they  reach  full  manhood.  The 
lather  brush  looks  like  a  tooth-brush,  and  they  lather 
with  warm  water  only,  without  soap.  They  not  only 
always  wash  and  bathe  in  hot  water,  but  will  also 
drink  warm  water  in  preference  to  cold.  They  begin 
at  the  end  of  a  book  to  read,  and  read  from  the  top 
to  the  bottom,  beginning  at  the  right  hand,  instead  of 
across  the  page  and  beginning  at  the  left.  Explana- 
tory notes  are  always  at  the  top  of  the  page  instead 
of  at  the  bottom.  The  title  of  a  book  is  always  on 
the  outer  margin  instead  of  at  the  top.  The  leaves 
are  all  doubled  and  printed  on  one  side  instead  of 
being  single  and  printed  on  both.  The  pupils  in 
schools  study  as  loudly  as  they  can  scream,  instead  of 
silently,  and  in  reciting  stand  with  the  back  to  the 
teacher,  instead  of  the  face.  They  locate  the  seat  of 
intelligence  in  the  stomach  instead  of  in  the  head. 
In  salutation,  they  each  shake  their  own  hands  instead 
of  the  others.  With  them  the  magnetic  needle  is 
always  said  to  point  to  the  south,  and  in  naming  the 
four  cardinal  points  they  say  east,  south,  west,  north. 
Instead  of  southeast  and  northwest,  they  always 
say  east-south  and  west-north.     Matting  is  used  for 


opposites.  237 

mattresses  instead  of  on  floors,  and  they  use  hard  pil- 
lows (sometimes  a  block  of  wood)  instead  of  soft. 
Long  nails  are  ornamental — if  three  or  four  inches, 
they  are  of  quite  an  aristocratic  length.  They  put 
the  given  name,  or  the  title  by  which  you  are  called, 
after  the  family  name  instead  of  before  it.  So  it 
would  be  Smith  Mr.  instead  of  Mr.  Smith.  It  is  im- 
polite to  take  off  your  hat  in  the  house.  They  plaster 
and  whitewash  buildings  on  the  outerside  oftener  than 
on  the  inner.  It  is  a  strong  mark  of  filial  regard  for 
a  son  to  buy  a  coffin  as  a  present  to  his  father,  while 
yet  living.  On  presenting  it,  he  says,  "  may  you  live 
ten  thousand  years!"  When  a  man  becomes  able, 
one  of  the  first  articles  of  furniture  he  buys  for  him- 
self is  his  coffin  !  It  is  often  used  as  a  bench  or  table 
for  years.  When  it  becomes  tenanted  it  is  frequently 
kept  in  the  house  for  many  years  longer,  instead  of 
being  taken  out  and  buried ;  and  when  thus  taken 
out  it  is  often  placed  on  the  surface  of  the  ground 
instead  of  beneath  it.  The  inscription  is  always  on 
the  end  of  the  coffin  instead  of  on  the  top.  They 
wear  white  for  mourning  instead  of  black.  At  fune- 
rals, women  must  weep  even  if  they  are  not  grieved ; 
men  must  not  if  they  are.  More  lanterns  are  carried 
at  the  time  of  the  full  moon  than  at  any  other.  They 
sell  wood  and  fluids  by  weight  instead  of  by  measure. 
At  a  dinner,  the  dessert  is  always  eaten  first.  The 
seat  of  honor  is  on  the  left  hand  instead  of  at  the 
right.  They  eat  with  two  sticks,  both  in  one  hand, 
instead  of  with  a  knife  and  fork,  one  in  each.  Their 
boots  and  shoes  are  higher  at  the  toes  than  at  the 
heels,  and  are  mostly  made  of  cloth  instead  of  leather. 
They  use  whiting  on  them  instead  of  blacking.    In 


238  FIVE  YEARS   IK   CHINA. 

laying  floors  they  lay  the  plank  with  the  smooth  sur- 
face down  on  the  timbers,  while  the  upper  is  left 
rough  and  unplaned.  In  drinking  tea,  the  saucer  is 
placed  on  the  top  of  the  cup  instead  of  at  the  bottom. 
They  kill  themselves  to  be  revenged  of  an  enemy. 
Men  wear  gowns,  petticoats,  beads,  embroidery,  and 
garters,  and  women  wear  pantaloons  (not,  however, 
"  the  pantaloons  ").  They  always  mount  a  horse  on 
the  wrong  side,  and  women  ride  as  the  men.  Mili- 
tary officers  carry  fans  instead  of  pistols.  The  plume 
is  on  the  back  of  the  cap  and  hangs  down,  instead  of 
being  on  the  front  and  standing  up.  In  battle  they 
wait  for  a  ship  to  sail  into  a  line  with  the  cannon,  on 
a  fortification,  instead  of  moving  the  gun,  and  direct- 
ing it  to  the  position  of  the  ship.  In  the  dress  of 
men,  the  drawers  are  large  and  loose  at  the  bottom, 
and  have  no  strings,  while  the  pants  are  tight  as 
possible  and  are  tied  around  the  ankles  like  drawers. 
In  other  words,  it  might  be  said,  they  wear  their 
drawers  outside  of  their  pantaloons.'  Among  us, 
young  men  and  women  choose  for  themselves  and  do 
their  own  courting,  when  they  become  grown  (and 
sometimes  before) ;  in  China  this  is  all  done  for  them 
by  their  parents  while  they  are  infants.  With  us, 
ladies  have  the  preference;  with  them,  gentlemen. 
"We  educate  and  honor  our  wives,  sisters  and  daugh- 
ters, and  bring  them  forward  in  society  ;  they  degrade 
theirs,  keep  them  in  ignorance  and  out  of  sight. 
Women  have  their  feet  always  bound — their  waists, 
never.  The  circumference  of  their  dress  is  greatest 
at  the  waist  and  least  at  the  ankles.  They  wear  their 
breast-pins  on  the  forehead.  The  young  lady  goes  to 
the  residence  of  her  betrothed  to  be  married,  and  she 


OPPOSITES. 

wails  and  weeps  along  the  whole  way  to  her  wedding. 
They  always  have  feasting  and  music  at  funerals. 
Green  plums  are  preferred  to  ripe  ones.  They  abo- 
minate milk,  butter  and  cheese,  but  relish  castor  oil, 
snails,  and  many  other  articles  that  are  to  us  horribly 
offensive.  They  shave  off  nearly  the  whole  of  the 
eye-brows,  leaving  a  mere  pencil  of  hair,  while  that 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  head  is  allowed  to  grow 
till  it  reaches  the  ground.  Although  men  do  not 
exactly  set  on  the  eggs,  they  yet  do  most  of  the 
hatching,  thus  assuming  the  prerogative  of  the  hens 
and  depriving  them  of  that  pleasure  and  privilege. 


CHAPTER    XIX. 

INCIDENTS. 

A  Foundling — Air-Castle  Building — "  Reckoning  without  the  Host" — 
Disappointment — A  Boat-Trip  to  Tsayn-so— Inundation — The  City 
— Preaching  and  Tract  Distribution — "  Bread  on  the  Waters." 

One  Sunday  morning,  as  I  was  on  my  way  to  the 
chapel  of  the  London  Missionary  Society,  to  hear  Dr. 
Medliurst  preach  in  Chinese,  my  attention  was  drawn 
to  several  persons  looking  toward  the  top  of  the  high 
embankment  forming  the  inner  portion  of  the  city 
wall.  I  stopped  a  moment  and  looked  in  the  same 
direction,  when  presently  I  heard  the  faint  cry  of  an 
infant,  but  saw  nothing.  Said  I  to  a  woman  standing 
near  me,  "  What  is  it  ?"  She  replied,  "  It  is  a  little 
child,  whose  parents  have  thrown  it  away,  and  it  is  a 
ten  thousand  times  fine  looking  child " — a  common 
form  of  expression  among  the  Chinese  for  the  super- 
lative. "But  why  did  they  throw  it  away?"  "I 
don't  know,"  said  she  "  unless  it  was  that  they  had 
no  rice  to  give  it  to  eat."  Upon  this  I  turned  to  go 
to  the  spot,  and  then  a  dozen  followed,  but  until  now, 
no  one  seemed  disposed  to  go  near  it.  Climbing  up 
the  steep  bank,  I  discovered  as  I  reached  the  top,  a 
a  very  pretty  little  child,  entirely  naked,  and  crying 
as  if  its  heart  was  broken.  It  was  sitting  on  the 
step  of  a  back  door  of  an  old  dilapidated  temple, 


INCIDENTS.  24:1 

which  stands  on  the  city  wall.  "  Does  any  one  here 
know  its  father  and  mother  ?"  Nobody  knew  them. 
"  Can  any  one  tell  how  it  came  here  ?"  No  one  could 
tell.  "  Do  you  think  its  parents  put  it  here  to  die 
because  they  were  too  poor  to  buy  food  for  it?" 
"  Yes,  that  must  be  it  V  "  Well,  suppose  I  take  it  to 
my  house  and  give  it  rice  and  clothes,  and  bring  it 
up  I"  "  Oh,"  said  several  at  once,  "  that  is  very 
good  ;  that  will  be  doing  a  very  good  act."  "  Then," 
said  I  to  one  of  the  women  whom  curiosity  had  at- 
tracted to  the  place,  "  will  you  take  it  into  your  house 
and  put  a  dress  on  it,  and  give  it  some-  rice  to  eat, 
until  to-morrow,  when  I  will  come  and  take  it  home 
with  me  and  pay  you  for  your  trouble?"  "Yes," 
said  she,  "  I  will  do  that."  "  Well,  where  do  you 
live?"  "Just  down  yonder,  near  the  foot  of  the 
wall."  So  she  went,  and  taking  the  naked  little  out- 
cast by  the  hand,  lifted  it  up,  but  after  a  step  or  two 
it  sank  down,  unable  to  walk  from  weakness,  the  re- 
sult of  hunger.  So  the  woman,  who  manifested  some 
kindly  feeling  for  the  poor  little  friendless  one,  took 
it  up  in  her  arms  and  carried  it  down  the  bank  to 
her  house.  The  child  ceased  crying  as  soon  as  she 
found  herself  in  the  arms  of  one  whom  she  could  not 
distinguish  from  her  ^natural  mother,  and  I  went  on 
to  the  chapel.  After  service,  on  my  way  home,  I 
called  in  at  the  house  of  the  woman  who  had  taken 
my  little  foundling,  and  the  first  object  that  met  my 
eye,  was  the  little  creature  herself,  having  on  a  thin 
garment — for  the  weather  was  quite  warm— seated  on 
the  threshold  of  an  inner  door,  playing  with  a  string, 
and  apparently  as  contented  and  happy  as  if  she  had 
never  known  any  other  home.    To  my  inquiry  if  the 

11 


242  FIVE   TEARS   IN   CHINA. 

child  had  been  fed,  the  kind  old  woman  replied  in 
the  affirmative,  and  the  appearance  of  the  former 
gave  pretty  good  evidence  to  the  truth  of  her  state- 
ment Kenewing  my  promise  to  come  for  the  child 
on  the  morrow,  I  went  home  and  told  my  wife  of  the 
occurrence.  "We  both  regarded  the  helpless  little  one 
as  providentially  thrown  upon  our  hands,  not  only  for 
deliverance,  perhaps  from  death,  but  to  be  trained  up 
for  a  blessing  to  her  benighted  countrywomen  here, 
and  a  bright  star  in  glory  hereafter.  What  we  might 
do  for  her,  and  how  we  should  teach  her,  were  sub- 
jects of  frequent  conversation  through  the  day.  We 
determined  to  call  her  Annie,  since  so  much  interest 
already  existed  in  America,  in  behalf  of  the  little 
girl  of  that  name  who  was  an  inmate  of  our  family 
for  a  few  months.  And  we  thought  we  might  easily 
transfer  this  interest  as  well  as  the  funds  for  her  sup- 
port, to  our  newly  adopted  charge.  This  is  a  Chinese 
name,  and  is  sounded  An-ye,  but  it  is  so  much  like 
that  pretty  Annie,  so  familiar  to  us  at  home,  that  we 
always  so  wrote  and  called  it.  This  circumstance 
probably  gave  rise  to  the  idea  among  our  friends  at 
home  that  when  we  took  a  Chinese  child  to  support 
and  educate  we  were  at  liberty  to  give  it  an  English 
name,  which  you  may  do  if  you  please,  but  it  will 
never  be  used  by  the  natives  themselves. 

The  next  day,  as  soon  as  the  press  of  morning  du- 
ties would  permit,  I  went  for  my  little  protegee.  What 
bright  visions  of  the  future  presented  themselves  to 
my  mind  as  I  walked  along.  I  fancied  to  myself  the 
child  growing  up  under  our  fostering  care,  her  tender 
mind  early  imbued  with  the  knowledge  of  the  true 
God — her  heart  the  subject  of  the  gracious  influences 


INCIDENTS.  243 

of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  then  the  light  she  would  be- 
come to  her  degraded  countrymen.  My  thoughts 
were  occupied  with  such  anticipations  as  these  when 
I  reached  the  house  where  I  had  left  her  the  day  be- 
fore. The  woman's  answer  to  my  question,  "  Where 
is  the  child  ?"  instantly  dashed  my  hopes  to  the 
ground.  Its  mother  had  come  and  taken  it  away. 
"  Its  mother  !  why  I  thought  its  mother  had  thrown 
it  out  to  die."  "  Well,  we  all  thought  so,  too,  but  we 
were  mistaken.  It  had  strayed  away  from  its  home, 
and  some  beggars  had  stripped  it  of  its  clothes,  and 
then  left  it  to  perish  where  we  found  it.  But  its 
mother  came  along  in  great  distress,  searching  and 
inquiring  for  her  child,  and  was  overjoyed  to  find  it 
here,  so  she  took  it  home  again."  Of  course  I  could 
not  demur  to  the  proceeding,  though  I  must  acknow- 
ledge my  disappointment  was  by  no  means  trifling. 
However,  I  consoled  myself  with  the  thought,  that 
all  the  glowing  anticipations  which  had  a  moment 
before  filled  my  breast,  might  yet  be  realized  in  the 
person  of  some  other  little  heathen  child  at  some 
future  day. 

"  Here,  Xe-kway,  take  my  pallet  and  blanket,  and 
come  with  me  to  the  boat  at  the  mouth  of  the  creek ; 
for  it  is  now  near  nine  o'clock,  and  I  have  engaged  to 
meet  Mr.  Edkins,  of  the  London  Missionary  Society, 
there  at  ten.  We  are  going  to  take  a  day's  trip  into 
the  country  on  a  missionary  excursion."  I  led  the 
way,  and  my  Chinese  servant,  Ne-kway,  followed  me 
with  the  bundle  along  the  winding  stone-walk  on  the 
bank  of  the  creek.  This  path  for  some  part  of  the 
way  becomes  a  narrow,  crowded  street,  lined  with 
shops  on  either  side,  and  alive  with  human  beings 


244  FIVE  TEAKS   IN   CHINA. 

bustling  to  and  fro  on  the  pavement,  or  making 
merry  with  companions  over  their  cups  in  the  tea- 
taverns.  "  JSe-kway,  here  is  a  candle  shop,  you  had 
better  get  a  candle  and  put  it  in  your  oiled-paper 
lantern,  for  the  moon  is  not  up  yet,  and  it  is  quite 
dark."  Now,  then,  we  can  see  the  way  plainly. 
Presently  we  come  to  the  mouth  of  the  Yang-king- 
pang,  where  it  empties  into  the  broad  Hwang-poo, 
on  whose  placid  bosom  some  twenty  sail  of  foreign 
vessels  lay  quietly  moored.  Their  masts  and  rigging 
at  first  but  dimly  seen  by  star-light,  soon  became  dis- 
tinctly visible  before  the  rising  moon,  and  look  like 
strong  dark  lines  drawn  against  the  sky.  We  find 
the  boat  at  the  place  appointed,  with  three  boatmen 
in  waiting.  Knowing  that  they  must  begin  to  ply 
the  oar  at  midnight,  when  the  tide  will  flow  in  our 
favor,  they  are  taking  a  nap  beforehand.  After  plac- 
ing my  sleeping  apparatus  on  board,  Ne-kway  returns 
home.  My  friend  has  not  yet  come  ;  but  as  our  sleep 
will  be  sufficiently  short  and  disturbed  through  the 
night,  I  will  try  to  get  a  little  now  while  the  boat  is 
still ;  so,  spreading  out  my  pallet  on  one  of  the 
broad  benches,  I  betake  myself  to  the  same  employ- 
ment with  the  three  good  fellows  "  aft."  Just  as  I 
begin  to  doze,  here  comes  Edkins  and  spoils  it  all. 
He  does  not  seem  at  all  disposed  to  "  turn  in ;"  so, 
being  effectually  waked,  I  might  as  well  "turn  out" 
and  keep  him  company.  The  boatmen  pull  up  the 
anchor  and  scull  across  to  the  east  side  of  the  river, 
that  they  may  be  in  a  more  favorable  position  for 
taking  advantage  of  the  flood  tide.  By  this  time  the 
moon  is  riding  the  heavens  in  full  beauty,  and  one 
might  fancy  she  was  making  the   Hwang-poo  her 


INCIDENTS.  245 

toilet-glass,  so  perfectly  does  it  reflect  her  face.  As 
we  come  near  the  opposite  bank,  rattle,  rattle,  rattle, 
goes  the  chain — clown  goes  the  anchor,  and  in  a  few 
minutes  everything  is  quiet  again,  and  we  are  all 
asleep,  but  one  boatman,  who  keeps  awake,  or  should, 
if  he  does  not,  to  watch  for  the  first  turning  of  the 
tide.  We  are  apprised  of  that  fact  after  a  short  sea- 
son of  repose,  by  the  moving  about  of  our  boatmen, 
pulling  up  the  anchor  once  more ;  and  soon  we  are  on 
our  way  to  Tsayn-so — the  place  of  our  destination. 

The  incessant  creaking  of  the  great  oar,  together 
with  the  rocking  motion  of  the  boat,  which  necessa- 
rily accompanies  sculling,  too  plainly  announce  to  me 
that  I  am  to  sleep  no  more  to-night.  Not  so,  however, 
with  my  fellow  voyageur.  He  is  an  "  old  salt "  at 
this  kind  of  travelling — making  a  trip  weekly — and 
so  he  sleeps  away  most  provokingly  sound.  After 
alternately  dozing  and  turning  from  side  to  side  for 
several  hours,  daylight  at  length  comes  to  my  relief. 
Dress  myself  and  hasten  on  deck,  where,  seated  on  a 
small  bench,  I  breathe  the  fresh  morning  air  with  a 
keen  relish.  The  fog  is  so  dense,  that  one  can  scarcely 
see  the  banks  of  the  canal ;  as  it  gradually  clears 
away,  we  discover  the  poor  peasantry  plying  their 
early  tasks.  They  are  now  gathering  their  scanty 
crop  of  cotton,  which  the  unfavorable  season  has 
reduced  to  nearly  one  half  an  average  quantity.  In 
some  places,  the  late  heavy  rains  have  quite  de- 
stroyed it.  Many  fields  are  still  under  water,  and  the 
canals  in  every  part  of  this  vast  level  region  are  filled 
to  their  banks,  and  in  many  places  are  overflowing 
them.  As  we  pass  along,  we  see  the  water  occupy- 
ing the  door-ways  and  earth  floors  of  many  a  poor 


246  FIVE  YEARS   IN  CHINA. 

Dative  tenement.  Even  this,  however,  does  not 
quench  the  curiosity  of  the  inmates  to  see  the  "  out- 
side country  men  ;"  so  men,  women  and  children, 
standing  on  pieces  of  wood,  planks  and  stones,  crowd 
the  doors  to  get  a  glimpse  of  us — for  my  companion 
has  just  made  his  appearance.  "  Why  Edkins,  what 
a  favorite  you  must  be  with  the  goddess  of  sleep  ; 
she  shook  her  dewy  wand  over  you,  and  you  snored 
away  as  if  you  were  sleeping  for  a  wager — while  I 
wooed  her  the  night  long  in  vain.  It  was  really 
tantalizing ;  you  should  have  been  more  considerate." 
The  tea-kettle  is  soon  set  a-boiling  over  a  charcoal 
fire  in  a  small  earthen  furnace  in  the  stern  of  the 
boat,  and  having  opened  our  baskets  and  spread  out 
our  provisions  on  the  little  table,  we  make  an  excel- 
lent breakfast  on  cold  beef  and  bread,  with  a  good, 
hot  cup  of  tea.  We  have  but  little  more  than  finished 
our  repast,  when  we  arrive  at  a  stone  bridge,  under 
which  our  boat  cannot  pass,  from  the  quantity  of  water 
in  the  canal,  and  we  are  still  four  miles  distant  from 
Tsayn-so.  After  a  few  minutes'  deliberation,  we  hail 
a  fisherman,  who  is  just  paddling  by  in  his  frail 
canoe,  and  having  stipulated  with  him  for  a  passage, 
take  a  half-bushel  bag  of  tracts  in  hand,  and  embark 
for  the  second  time.  The  boat  is  so  small  that  we 
must  sit  flat  on  the  bottom  to  avoid  upsetting.  So 
seated  vis-a-vis  we  open  our  umbrellas  to  shield  us 
from  the  sun,  and  paddle  on  toward  the  town  we 
design  visiting.  Some  missionaries  having  been  this 
way  before,  on  the  same  errand  with  ourselves,  many 
of  the  people  living  along  the  canal,  seem  to  know 
our  object,  and  eagerly  ask  for  books,  sometimes  run- 
ning a  long  distance  on  the  banks  for  the  sake  oi 


INCIDENTS.  247 

getting  them.  We  approach  the  shore  at  convenient 
places  to  gratify  them,  and  are  abundantly  thanked 
in  return.  At  noon  we  reach  Tsayn-so.  The  high, 
strong  brick  wall,  which  surrounds  the  town,  is  much 
dilapidated  in  appearance ;  and  the  four  wooden 
gates,  looking  to  the  four  cardinal  points  of  the  com- 
pass— originally  very  thick  and  strong — are  so  decayed 
as  to  be  useless.  The  necessity  which  gave  origin 
both  to  the  wall  and  the  gates,  viz. :  the  frequent 
attacks  of  pirates,  seems  to  have  passed  entirely 
away.  The  people  dwell  securely  without  requiring 
these  defences.  Entering  the  western  gate,  we  pass 
on  through  the  principal  street,  followed  by  crowds 
of  people,  to  whom  we  distribute  books  and  tracts, 
until  we  come  to  the  gate  on  the  eastern  side  of  the 
town.  We  here  climb  the  wall,  and  strain  our  eyes 
to  get  a  view  of  the  sea,  said  to  be  visible  in  clear 
weather  from  this  point ;  but  we  cannot  see  it.  De- 
scending, we  retrace  our  steps  to  the  largest  temple 
in  the  place,  inviting  the  people  in  the  shops  and 
streets  as  we  pass  along  to  come  and  hear  us  preach. 
This  temple  is  situated  near  the  gate  at  which  we  at 
first  entered.  Going  in  through  a  spacious,  open 
court,  we  mounted  a  table  four  feet  high,  directly  in 
front  of  the  great  idol  whom  the  inhabitants  regard 
as  the  protecting  divinity  of  the  city.  Here  my  com- 
panion first,  plainly  and  faithfully,  proclaims  to  the 
assembled  throng  the  vanity  and  guilt  of  their  super- 
stitious customs  ;  and  I  followed  him,  exhorting  them 
to  forsake  their  false  gods  and  deceiving  priests ;  to 
repent  of  their  wickedness,  and  earnestly  pray  to  the 
only  living  and  true  God  to  pardon  their  sins  solely 
on  the  merit  of  his  son  Jesus  Christ,  who  came  from 


248  FIYE   YEARS   IN   CHINA. 

heaven  to  earth,  and  died  for  all  mankind — for  the 
"  middle  country  people,"  as  well  as  for  those  who 
lived  in  the  "  outside  country."  After  enlarging  in 
this  manner  upon  the  leading  doctrines  of  the  Bible, 
we  left  them,  having  disposed  of  all  our  tracts  ;  and 
then  returned  to  our  little  skiff;  still  followed  by  a 
number  of  men  and  boys  to  whom  we  have  promised 
books  on  reaching  the  small  boat,  in  which  we  had 
left  the  bag.  We  redeem  this  promise,  wake  up  our 
boatman,  who  has  been  regaling  himself  with  a  nap 
in  our  absence,  and  in  a  little  time  have  our  faces 
toward  Shanghai.  The  wind  is  blowing  fresh,  and 
in  our  favor,  too  ;  so  making  our  umbrellas  serve  the 
double  purpose  of  shade  and  sails,  we  get  back  to 
our  own  boat  in  less  than  half  the  time  we  consumed 
in  passing  over  the  same  distance  two  hours  before. 
It  is  now  two  o'clock,  and  our  dinner  is  brought  in 
requisition  ;  while  our  boatmen  labor  at  the  oar  with 
a  good  will,  that  shows  they  are  right  glad  to  turn 
their  faces  homeward.  "We  put  up  our  cold  beef  and 
bread,  somewhat  diminished  in  quantity  you  may  be 
sure.  Seating  myself  on  the  small  deck  in  the  front 
part  of  the  boat,  I  take  out  my  paper  and  pencil  and 
prepare  this  sketch,  while  my  friend  is  inside  reading. 
I  place  a  few  tracts  by  my  side,  to  give  to  persons  on 
the  boats  which  we  are  constantly  meeting.  They 
will  always  steer  near  enough  to  us,  to  enable  them 
to  reach  the  books  as  we  hold  them  out.  In  several 
instances,  they  turn  their  boats  entirely  around,  to 
pick  up  tracts  which  had  accidentally  fallen  into  the 
water,  as  I  was  trying  to  hand  them  across.  In  some 
few  cases,  the  boats  are  passing  too  swiftly,  and  the 
wind  is  so  high  that  they  cannot  return  to  get  them, 


INCIDENTS.  249 

so  the  tracts  remain  in  the  canal  where  they  drop 
from  our  hands.  But  even  these,  we  do  not  consider 
lost ;  for  I  thought  possibly  that  beautiful  promise, 
"  Cast  thy  bread  upon  the  waters,  and  thou  shalt  find 
it  after  many  days,"  might  have  a  literal  fulfillment 
in  regard  to  some  of  these  messengers  of  truth — these 
silent,  yet  eloquent  preachers — these  Christian  tracts  : 
for,  perhaps  some  one  will  pick  up  that  book  he  sees 
floating  in  the  water — read  it  to  the  salvation  of  his 
soul,  and  tell  others  to  the  salvation  of  theirs.  "Who 
can  tell?  Not  thrown  away — not  lost — no,  by  no 
means.  Would  I  could  scatter  millions  of  them  on 
the  waters,  coursing  throughout  this  vast  empire ! 

Night  at  length  comes  on,  and  an  hour  after  dark 
we  reach  home. 


11* 


CHAPTEK  XX. 


Chinese  New  Year  again — Making  Calls — Sending  Presents — Fire- 
works— Kitchen  gods — Visit  from  Schools — A  benevolent  Mer- 
chant— His  Almoner — Spinning — An  incident — Gratitude — Difficul- 
ties— Hope — Probable  destiny  of  Shanghai — Drought — Procession 
of  Rain  Dragons — Chinese  Theory  of  Rain — Proclamation — Solem- 
nities— Crops. 

The  Chinese  new  year,  beginning  with  the  first 
day  of  the  first  moon  after  the  sun  enters  Aquarius, 
occurs  this  year  on  the  20th  of  February.  It  is  the 
great  holiday  of  the  Chinese  people,  and  so  far  as 
cessation  from  labor  is  concerned,  may  be  called  their 
annual  Sabbath,  for  it  is  the  only  season  in  the  whole 
year  in  which  the  shops  are  closed,  and  business  of 
all  kinds  is  universally  suspended.  It  does,  in  fact, 
impress  you  strongly  as  a  resemblance  to  a  Sabbath 
in  a  Christian  land,  until  you  come  to  one  of  the 
numerous  temples  and  shrines,  when  the  illusion,  if 
you  wrere  indulging  it,  is  at  once  dispelled  by  the 
painful  sight  of  multitudes  prostrating  themselves 
before  hideous  images  of  clay  and  wood,  and  burn- 
ing incense  sticks,  wax  candles  and  gilt  or  tin-foiled 
paper,  to  propitiate  these  imaginary  deities. 

Several  of  my  Chinese  friends  called  to  pay  their 
respects.     Among  them  Tsang,  the  teacher  of  one  of 


251 

my  native  schools,  made  his  appearance,  followed  by 
his  pupils — thirteen  intelligent  looking,  fat,  happy 
little  boys,  and  two  little  girls.     As  soon  as  they  saw 
me,  they  all  clasped  their  hands,  and,  bowing  re- 
spectfully, repeated  the  phrase  common  on  such  oc- 
casions— "  koong  shee,  koong  shee  " — "  congratulate, 
congratulate."     I  distributed  some  oranges  and  dates 
among   them,  and  gave   each  a  pictorial   tract  or 
primer.     Their  bright  eyes  and  rosy  faces  gleamed 
with  delight,  and  they  exclaimed:  "too  zeah,  Tay 
seen-sang,  too  zeah,  Tay  seen-sang"  "  many  thanks, 
Taylor,  teacher — many  thanks,  Taylor  teacher"  and 
tripped  away  to  the  school  room  again  in  high  glee. 
The  practice  of  making  "  new-year's  calls,"  is  car- 
ried on  extensively  throughout  this  empire,  and  can 
boast  an  antiquity  of  some  thousands  of  years.     It 
has,  however,  a  different  name.     It  is  called  "  wor- 
shipping the  year."     On  this  occasion,  when  a  China- 
man meets  a  friend,  either  at  his  house  or  in  the 
stfeets,  each  clasps  his  own  hands,  instead  of  the 
others,  and  bows  his  head  almost  to  the  ground,  very 
slowly  and  ceremoniously,  a  number  of  times.     As 
this  operation  must  always  be  performed  at  this  sea- 
son with  due  precision  and  solemnity,  wherever  one 
chances  to  meet  his  friends,  the  narrow  streets  are 
sometimes  quite  obstructed,  when  two  scrupulously 
polite  personages  fall  in  each  other's  way  on  a  public 
thoroughfare. 

It  is  also  a  great  occasion  for  sending  presents — 
very  often,  I  know  from  personal  observation — for  the 
express  purpose  of  getting  one  of  greater  value  in 
return.  For  instance,  a  Chinaman  sends  you  a  ham 
or  a  shoulder  of  mutton,  a  fowl  or  two,  and  some 


252  FIVE   YEARS   IN   CHINA. 

vegetables  and  fruit.  You  may  be  sure  he  lias  hi  s 
eye  upon  something  of  yours,  and  if  you  are  at  all 
slow  in  taking  the  hint,  he  begins  to  admire  your 
watch,  perchance,  and  intimates  in  no  unequivocal 
terms,  that  it  would  be  acceptable  as  a  return  for  his 
present.  This  polite  way  of  begging  is,  perhaps, 
more  extensively  practised  in  their  intercourse  with 
foreigners,  than  among  themselves ;  though  it  is  by 
no  means  certain  that  it  does  not  prevail  as  widely  in 
the  native  circles. 

This  season  is  also  the  "  Fourth  of  July"  or  "  Christ- 
mas" of  Chinese  boys,  and  for  several  days  preceding 
and  following  the  first  day  of  the  new  year,  the  in- 
cessant popping  of  fire-crackers,  "  double  headers," 
et  id  genus  omne,  would  almost  make  one  fancy  him- 
self in  the  Park  at  New  York  on  the  "  Fourth,"  or  in 
Charleston  on  Christmas-day,  if  he  could  only  shut  his 
eyes  to  the  scenes  around  him.  The  nights,  too,  are 
illumined  by  sky-rockets,  Koman  candles,  miniature 
volcanoes,  and  the  like ;  but  all,  far  inferior  to  the 
displays  of  pyrotechny  in  the  United  States. 

The  twenty-third  of  the  last  month  in  the  year  is 
an  important  day  among  these  idolaters.  In  every 
house  there  is  placed  over  the  cooking  range  a  rude 
figure  coarsely  painted  on  a  bit  of  paper.  This  is 
called  the  kitchen-god,  and  is  set  up  at  the  beginning 
of  each  year,  and  is  supposed  to  take  cognizance  of 
everything  that  passes  in  the  family  during  the  year. 
Then,  at  its  close,  the  paper  kitchen-god  is  taken 
down  from  his  niche  in  the  wall,  and  placed  on  a 
table,  though  more  frequently  allowed  to  remain  in 
his  customary  place,  and  feasted  upon  small  balls 
made  of  rice-flour,  oranges,  walnuts,  and  some  other 


253 

products  of  the  vegetable  kingdom ;  but  no  animal 
food. 

In  addition  to  these,  a  very  adhesive  kind  of  candy 
is  placed  before  his  godship,  made  in  the  form  of 
Spanish  dollars  and  lumps  of  Sycee  silver.  The  de- 
sign of  this  shape  is  to  promote  the  increase  of  wealth 
in  the  family,  and  the  design  of  the  sticking  quality 
of  the  candy,  is  to  seal  the  lips  of  the  god  when  he  is 
sent  up  to  the  chief  of  the  Chinese  celestial  deities  to 
report  the  conduct  of  the  different  members  of  the 
family  during  the  past  year ;  so  that  when  he  is  ques- 
tion, he  cannot  open  his  lips  to  relate  the  deviations 
from  rectitude  he  may  have  observed,  but  can  only 
nod  nis  head,  which  is  taken  as  signifying  that  all 
have  behaved  well  in  the  family  where  he  presided. 
But  how  is  he  sent  up  to  heaven?  After  having 
been  duly  feasted  and  worshipped,  he  is  put  into  a 
kind  of  pan,  with  some  incense  sticks  and  gilt  paper, 
and  the  whole  is  set  on  fire.  When  all  is  consumed, 
the  kitchen-god  is  supposed  to  have  ascended  to  the 
skies,  to  the  presence  of  the  "Supreme  Ruler"  to 
render  in  his  account  with  tens  of  thousands  of  his 
comrades  from  the  swarming  families  of  this  vast 
empire.  Truly,  a  sad  picture  of  heathen  degradation 
and  superstitious  credulity. 

Not  many  weeks  since,  a  Christian  gentleman  in 
the  mercantile  community,  sent  me  an  order  on  the 
house  with  which  he  was  connected,  for  twenty-five 
dollars,  with  a  request  that  I  would  use  it  to  procure 
"creature  comforts"  for  some  of  the  more  needy 
among  the  Chinese,  who  might  come  under  my  ob- 
servation. He  feared  he  should  be  imposed  upon, 
and  bestow  his  charity  upon  unworthy  objects,  if  he 


254  FIVE   YEARS   IN   CHINA. 

attempted  to  distribute  it  himself,  which  would  most 
likely  have  been  the  case,  for  the  street  beggars  which 
throng  Shanghai  present  a  sufficiently  pitiable  aspect 
to  move  the  hardest  heart,  while  in  reality  they  are 
the  least  deserving  of  the  many  poor  in  this  populous 
country,  and  my  benevolent  friend  would  not  probably 
have  fallen  in  with  those  of  any  other  description.  I 
cheerfully  consented  to  become  his  almoner,  being 
acquainted  with  many  to  whom  his  aid  would  be 
most  timely  and  acceptable.  See,  then,  the  writer — 
himself  a  comfortable-looking  specimen  of  humanity 
— set  out  on  his  errand  with  some  of  the  dollars  in 
his  pocket.  He  goes  first  to  a  poor  widow  among 
his  neighbors,  across  the  bridge  from  his  house.  He 
finds  her  spinning  cotton  thread  to  be  woven  into 
cloth.  The  Chinese  spinning  wheel  is  something  like 
those  we  have  in  America  for  spinning  yarn,  except 
that  it  is  much  smaller,  more  like  a  "  flax-wheel."  It 
is  worked  by  both  feet,  on  a  treadle,  and  has  three 
spindles  instead  of  one.  It  is  exceedingly  simple  and 
primitive  in  its  construction,  and  answers  its  purpose 
remarkably  well.  But  you  may  depend  upon  it,  it 
would  puzzle  our  worthy  spinsters  at  home  to  hold 
those  three  rolls  in  their  fingers  and  work  that  treadle 
with  their  feet  The  poor  woman's  face  brightens 
with  a  smile  as  she  sees  her  visitor,  for  he  is  an  old 
acquaintance,  and  she  salutes  him  civilly  in  one  of 
the  usual  forms,  Tay  seen-sang,  haw  lah  vah  f — which 
is  equivalent  to  Mr.  Taylor,  are  you  well  ? — and  in- 
vites him  to  be  seated.  She  has  but  one  child,  a 
plump,  fat,  rosy-faced  little  fellow,  whom  his  mother 
tells  to  come  to  me  and  give  me  the  same  salutation. 
One  of  the  very  first  things  Chinese  children  are 


255 

taught,  is  to  step  boldly  forward  and  address  in  this 
manner  every  visitor  as  soon  as  he  enters  the  house. 
It  would  sometimes  appear  rude  to  us,  but  is  a  mark 
of  civility  with  them.  So,  of  course,  we  must  re- 
ceive it  for  what  it  is  designed,  as  an  evidence  of 
good  breeding;  just  as  we  do  the  opposite  conduct 
of  children  in  the  United  States,  who  do  not  put 
themselves  forward  to  speak  to  a  stranger  until  he 
first  speaks  to  them.  The  Chinese,  as  you  know,  are 
our  opposites  in  almost  everything,  some  of  which  we 
noted  in  a  former  chapter.  Well,  the  little  chubby 
boy  came  and  spoke  to  me,  as  his  mother  had  directed, 
and  we  had  a  most  friendly  chat  together,  when  a 
dollar  was  put  into  his  hand,  and  he  was  told  to  take 
it  to  his  mother.  He  did  so ;  and  it  would  be  a  diffi- 
cult matter  to  decide  which  of  the  two  faces  looked 
brighter,  the  happy  mother's  or  the  happy  child's. 
If  you  had  been  there,  you  would  have  said,  which, 
of  the  three — for  you  would  have  had  that  of  their 
happy  visitor  to-  add  to  the  group,  and  he  probably 
the  happiest  of  the  trio.  The  poor  widow  expressed 
her  gratitude  in  the  strongest  terms  she  could  com- 
mand, when  the  visitor  seized  the  opportunity  to  im- 
press upon  her  mind  the  fact  that  it  was  the  love  of 
Jesus  that  induced  a  benevolent  gentleman  to  give 
me  this  money  for  her,  and  others  in  distress,  and 
that  _she  should  thank  the  true  God  in  heaven,  who 
had  put  it  into  his  heart  to  be  so  kind.  She  then 
began  to  exclaim,  "  thanks  to  the  true  God — thanks 
to  the  true  God ;"  for  when  the  money  was  first  put 
into  her  hands,  she  repeated  the  name  of  Buddha 
several  times,  using  the  common  expression,  "  O-me- 
too-veh!  O-me-too-veh !"  as  is   the  habit  of  these 


256  FIVE   YEAES   IN   CHINA 

miserable  idolaters  when  they  meet  with  any  piece 
of  good  fortune.  She  was  informed  this  was  wrong, 
and  directed  to  thank  the  only  "  Giver  of  every  good 
and  every  perfect  gift,"  which  she  wras  ready  enough 
to  do  with  her  lips,  from  the  joy  of  the  moment,  but 
without  any  satisfactory  evidence  of  a  real  change  in 
her  views  or  feelings. 

This  is  also  the  case  in  numberless  instances  where 
the  natives  tell  us  they  believe  the  "  Jesus  doctrines;" 
for  they  are  often  quite  willing  to  admit  the  reason- 
ableness of  the  religion  we  preach,  and  its  vast  supe- 
riority over  their  owrn  senseless  superstitions.  And 
yet  so  strong,  so  deeply-rooted  are  the  latter  in  their 
minds  and  hearts — so  interwoven  with  their  very  ex- 
istence, that  it  is  an  exceedingly  difficult  thing  to  in- 
duce them,  in  any  instance,  to  abandon  those  idola- 
trous notions,  and  embrace  heartily  and  fully,  the 
confessedly  better  system,  and  walk  in  the  "  more  ex- 
cellent way,"  which  we  point  out  to  them.  On  one 
occasion  a  poor  woman  told  me  she  wished  to  believe 
in  Jesus.  Said  I,  "  why  do  you  wish  to  become  a 
believer  in  Jesus?"  "Oh,  because,"  she  replied, 
"  then  I  shall  have  rice  to  eat  and  clothes  to  wear." 
In  her  simplicity  she  could  discover  no  impropriety 
in  the  motive  she  assigned.  We  have  but  too  strong 
reasons  to  believe  the  motive  is  still  the  same  in  most 
cases,  though  the  applicant  usually  has  enough  art  to 
conceal  it. 

They  take  our  books  and  tracts  readily  enough  too, 
and  often  very  eagerly ;  but  one  must  not  suppose 
from  this  that  a  longing  desire  exists  for  the  truths  of 
Christianity.  There  is  no  such  thing.  On  the  con- 
trary, they  care  nothing  about  the  new  religion. 


257 

being  perfectly  satisfied  with  their  own  absurd  fan- 
cies and  fabulous  traditions,  that  have  the  recom- 
mendation, which  to  the  Chinese  mind  is  superior  to 
all  others — that  of  antiquity.  Is  the  question  then 
asked,  why  then  are  they  so  desirous  of  Christian 
books,  and  such  attentive  and  apparently  inter 
ested  listeners  to  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel  ?  The 
answer  is  short  and  simple.  They  are  attracted 
by  their  novelty,  without  being  affected  by  their 
excellence  and  power.  But  we  can  and  do,  take 
advantage  of  this  very  feeling  of  mere  curiosity  to 
make  them  acquainted  with  the  truth,  and  this  is 
our  hope.  Truth — the  mighty  eternal  truth  of  God, 
is  becoming,  every  day  that  rolls  over  this  multitudi- 
nous empire,  more  and  more  widely  disseminated, 
known,  and  understood,  and  when  the  Holy  Spirit 
shall  descend,  this  accumulated  mass  of  divine  truth 
will  be  the  agency  through  which  it  will  reach  their 
hearts,  and  so  a  nation  may  "be  born  in  a  day." 
The  prospect  and  certain  arrival  of  this  day  is  our 
encouragement  to  labor  on,  in  striving  to  scatter  the 
light  of  scripture  truth  far  and  wide  among  the  dark- 
ened millions  of  this  pagan  land. 

The  predictions  concerning  the  commercial  import- 
ance of  this  port  over  all  others  in  China,  are  fast 
receiving  their  fulfillment.  It  is  destined  to  become 
the  chief  seat  of  foreign  commerce  in  China,  and  the 
principal  point  of  intercourse  between  the  Pacific 
States  and  the  Middle  Kingdom.  It  does  not  require 
a  prophet's  ken,  or  the  sagacity  of  a  statesman,  to 
predict  the  position  for  Shanghai.  Occupying  a  po- 
sition about  midway  on  the  eastern  coast  of  this  em- 
pire— being  the  point  from  which  channels  of  com- 


258  FIVE  YEARS  IN  CHINA. 

mnnication  diverge  to  its  chief  cities,  and  being  the 
port  nearest  and  of  most  convenient  access  from  the 
western  coast  of  America,  its  destiny  is  manifest,  and 
its  march  toward  it  rapid  and  sure.  The  amount  of 
tonnage  now  in  our  harbor  is  greater  by  about  Hive 
thousand  tons  than  at  any  former  period,  and  this 
will  doubtless  be  greatly  increased  when  the  tea  sea- 
son is  fairly  opened.  Many  crops  have  been  gathered, 
and  are  now  on  their  way  to  Shanghai,  but  have  been 
prevented  reaching  this  place  from  the  scarcity  of 
water  in  the  canals  that  intersect  this  vast  level  region 
for  a  hundred  miles  or  more,  about  the  mouth  of  the 
Yang-tsz-kiang. 

This  want  of  water  is  owing  to  a  drought  that  still 
prevails  throughout  all  this  section  of  country.  It 
has  already  been  injurious,  and  it  is  feared  will  prove 
destructive,  to  the  rice  crop.  There  has  been  a  rise 
in  the  price  of  this  staple  article  of  food,  and  the 
people  have  been  so  apprehensive  of  a  famine  that  a 
few  days  ago  hundreds  from  different  parts  of  this 
district  formed  themselves  into  a  procession,  carrying 
twenty  eight  figures  of  dragons,  with  hideous  heads, 
made  of  paper,  painted,  and  with  bodies  of  coarse 
cotton  cloth  stretched  over  hoops  and  frames  of  bam- 
boo. The  several  lengths  or  points  composing  the 
serpentine  body  were  about  the  size  of  a  barrel,  and 
of  some  odd  number — five,  seven,  or  nine.  Each  of 
these  lengths  is  held  horizontally  about  three  feet 
above  the  head,  by  means  of  a  stick,  and  carried  in 
this  position  by  a  single  individual.  They  all  so 
move  their  sticks  as  to  communicate  an  undulating 
motion  to  the  whole,  giving  the  appearance  of  a  large 
serpent  crawling  over  their  heads. 


259 

These  dragons  were  designed  to  represent  the  dra- 
gons which  the  Chinese  believe  dwell  in  the  skies,  but 
descend  into  seas  and  oceans,  and  carrying  thence 
water  up  to  the  clouds,  spout  it  forth  again,  thus  caus- 
ing rain.  What  say  our  philosophers  and  storm- 
kings  to  this  Chinese  theory  of  rain  ?  I  venture  to 
say  it  will  possess  to  some  of  them  a  recommendation 
which,  though  questionable,  is  yet  the  only  one  that 
many  other  theories  are  found  to  have — that  of 
novelty. 

Carrying  these  twenty-eight  personifications  of  the 
rain  monsters,  the  procession  went  to  the  office  of  the 
district  magistrate  of  Shanghai,  beating  gongs  and 
cymbals,  and  calling  vehemently  for  him  to  come 
and  give  an  account  for  his  remissness  in  duty,  in- 
quiring at  the  same  time  if  he  was  not  aware  of  the 
drought  prevailing  through  the  bounds  of  his  juris- 
diction. The  Chinese  invariably  attribute  drought, 
pestilence,  famine,  and  similar  calamities,  to  some 
misconduct  of  the  emperor,  the  rulers,  or  the  people 
themselves,  at  which  heaven  is  angry,  and  visits  them 
with  punishments. 

The  mandarin,  or  mayor  of  this  district,  replied 
that  he  had  been  apprised  of  the  fact,  and  had  prayed 
to  heaven  to  send  rain.  They  then  informed  him 
that  they  had  come  a  distance  of  several  miles,  and 
were  hungry,  whereupon  he  ordered  refreshments  of 
tea  and  cakes  for  them,  and  presented  to  them  a 
string  of  1,000  "  cash,"  for  each  of  the  twenty-eight 
dragons,  to  be  distributed  among  the  men  carrying 
them.  The  crowd  then  dispersed,  and  the  magistrates 
forthwith  issued  a  proclamation,  according  to  the 
usual  custom,  prohibiting  the  slaying  of  animals  for 


260  FIVE  YEARS   IN   CHINA. 

food,  for  the  space  of  three  days,  during  which  time 
all  the  mandarins  in  the  city  were  to  repair  to  the 
temples,  worship  the  idols,  and  pray  for  rain — on  the 
first  day  once,  on  the  second  twice,  and  on  the  third 
thrice.  Subsequently,  the  time  was  extended  indefi- 
nitely, till  rain  fell. 

Fishermen  are  also  forbidden  to  ply  their  avoca- 
tion, during  these  days  of  abstinence  and  humilia- 
tion ;  but  they  are  provided  with  rice,  for  food,  out 
of  the  public  treasury.  Up  to  the  time  of  this 
drought  the  year  has  been  a  remarkably  abundant 
one — the  wheat,  barley,  and  rye  crops  having  been 
full,  and  well  harvested.  The  cotton  plants,  so  far, 
continue  healthy — not  requiring  much  rain  at  this 
stage  of  their  growth. 


CHAPTER    XXI. 


Taking  boat— Disguise— The  "  Gem  Hill  City  " — "  Pheasant  Mound  " 
— Variety  of  Junks  and  Boats — Grain  Junks — Timber — Canals — 
Bridges — Temples — Pagodas — "  Great  Lake  " — "  Lion  Hills  " — 
"  Hill  Pools  "— "  Tiger  Den  Hill  "— "  Thousand  Men  Rock  "—Beau- 
tiful Shops  and  Streets — Return  to  Shanghai. 

One  Monday  night  in  November,  1850,  two  foreign- 
ers and  one  native  Chinese,  might  have  been  seen 
wending  their  way  along  a  well  beaten  path  leading 
to  bridge  across  the  Wu-sung-kiang.  This  stream  is 
more  familiarly  known  to  the  foreign  community  at 
Shanghai  as  the  "  Su-chau  Creek,"  and  is  about  sixty 
yards  wide.  It  comes  in  from  the  west,  and  unites 
with  the  Hwang-pu  a  half  a  mile  north  of  the  city. 
The  Hwang-pu,  it  will  be  remembered,  is  quite  a 
river,  having  a  northerly  direction,  and  empties  into 
the  great  Yang-tsz-kiang  about  twelve  miles,  in  a 
right  line,  north  from  Shanghai,  but  eighteen  miles 
by  the  river  itself.  It  is  navigable  for  vessels  of  the 
largest  class  up  to  the  city,  which  is  situated  on  its 
western  bank. 

A  walk  of  two  miles  brought  us  to  our  boat  at  the 
bridge.  We  had  provisioned  ourselves  for  a  week's 
absence,  intending  to  visit  the  far-famed  city  of  Su- 
chau.    This -place  is  regarded  by  the  Chinese  as  the 


262  FIVE  YEARS   IN  CHINA. 

terrestrial  paradise.  Thej  have  a  proverb  which 
says,  "  above  is  heaven  ;  on  earth,  Su-chau  and  Hang- 
chau.'  And  another — "  to  be  happy  on  earth,  one 
must  be  born  in  Su-chau,  live  in  Canton,  and  die  at 
Liau-chau," — the  first  being  remarkable  for  the  per- 
sonal beauty  of  its  inhabitants ;  the  second  for  the 
richness  and  variety  of  its  luxuries ;  and  the  third 
for  the  excellence  of  its  coffins. 

I  had  been  invited  by  my  companion  on  the  last 
excursion,  Rev.  J.  Edkins,  to  accompany  him  on  a 
visit  of  observation  to  this  celebrated  city.  This 
could  only  be  done  in  disguise ;  and  accordingly,  we 
had  furnished  ourselves  with  the  various  articles  of 
Chinese  dress — tail  and  all. 

About  midnight,  taking  the  tide  at  flood,  our  boat 
was  unmoored,  and  following  the  serpentine  wind- 
ings of  the  creek  for  some  seventeen  miles  in  a  west- 
erly direction,  came  to  a  small  town  called  Wong-du, 
the  ' '  Ferry  of  the  Wong  family." 

This  is  about  the  extent  of  tide  water,  and  from 
this  place  onward  into  the  interior,  you  find  the 
canals  uniformly  full.  The  water,  too,  becomes  quite 
clear,  presenting  a  very  grateful  appearance  to  eyes 
accustomed  to  the  daily  ebb  and  flow  of  the  muddy 
contents  of  the  Yang-tsz-kiang.  Fifty-three  miles 
from  Shanghai,  you  reach  Kwung-san — the  "  Gem 
Hill " — a  walled  town,  deriving  its  name  from  an 
abrupt  hill  at  its  northern  extremity,  but  wTithin  the 
wall. 

This  wall  incloses  a  large  space  of  ground,  not 
more  than  half  of  which  is  occupied  by  buildings. 
Entering  one  of  the  two  gates  on  the  bank  of  the 
canal  you  pass  through  very  dirty,  narrow  streets  for 


A  TRIP   TO   SU-CHAU.  263 

two  miles  to  the  bill.  As  the  place  is  seldom  visited 
by  foreigners,  your  presence  is  the  signal  for  a  gala- 
day  for  the  town,  and  crowds  of  men  and  boys  follow 
you,  and  obstruct  your  path  unless  you  walk  fast 
enough  to  keep  in  advance  of  the  motley  multitude, 
which  you  will  find  very  convenient,  and  not  at  all 
difficult  to  do.  We  found  opportunity  at  the  same 
time,  to  distribute  hundreds  of  tracts,  both  to  people 
in  the  streets,  and  in  the  shops,  as  we  passed  along. 

On  arriving  at  the  hill,  there  is  a  continuous  flight 
of  steps  to  the  top,  on  which  stands  an  old  temple, 
and  near  it  a  much  dilapidated  pagoda,  seven  stories 
high.  This  hill  and  another  small  elevation,  the 
Yah-ke-tung,  the  "  Wild  Chicken  "  (or  "  Pheasant), 
Mound  " — are  the  only  variations  to  relieve  the  un- 
broken level  from  Shanghai  to  Su-chau. 

From  the  manner  of  its  construction,  you  cannot 
ascend  the  pagoda ;  but  from  the  second  floor  of  the 
temple,  which  has  four  windows  opening  toward  the 
four  points  of  the  compass,  you  have  a  fine  view  of 
the  surrounding  country  for  many  miles.  On  a  clear 
day,  "  The  Hills  "  to  the  southeast,  thirty  miles  west 
of  Shanghai,  and  those  beyond  Su-chau,  far  away  to 
the  westward,  are  distinctly  visible.  After  feasting 
our  eyes  upon  this  beautiful  prospect,  we  descended  the 
hill,  and  both  of  us  preached  in  a  temple  at  its  foot, 
to  a  large  and  attentive  throng.  Then  returning  to 
our  boat,  we  resumed  our  journey. 

A  few  miles  from  Kwung-san,  the  canal,  hitherto 
so  winding  in  its  course,  becomes  nearly  a  straight 
line  for  about  twenty  miles  up  to  the  very  gates  of 
Su-chau.  One  can  form  but  an  inadequate  idea  of 
the  amount  of  intercourse  daily  carried  on  between 


264  FIVE   YEARS   IN   CHINA. 

Shanghai  and  Su-chau,  without  passing  along  this 
great  thoroughfare  himself.  You  would  have  a  pe- 
culiarly favorable  opportunity  for  observing  this, 
should  there  be  a  fair  wind,  and  your  boat,  as  ours 
was,  without  a  sail.  For,  besides  the  hundreds  you 
meet,  you  would  have  the  pleasure  of  seeing  them  in 
equal  numbers,  pass  by  you  continually,  going  in  the 
same  direction  as  yourself,  and  presently  they  are  out 
of  sight  without  moving  an  oar,  while  your  own  boat, 
with  three  or  four  stout,  lusty  fellows,  sculling  away 
with  all  their  might,  "  drags  its  slow  length  along." 

Leaving  Shanghai  several  hours  later  than  our- 
selves, with  a  fair  wind  and  favorable  tide,  they 
probably  reached  Su-chau  the  same  evening.  We  did 
not  arrive  until  noon  the  next  day  (Wednesday),  our 
boatmen  having  worked  nearly  all  night;  on  the 
morning  of  this  day  we  disguised  ourselves  in  the 
native  costume,  and  passed  on  to  the  city.  The  canal 
is  lined  with  shops  and  hongs  on  either  side,  for  a 
mile  before  you  come  to  the  wall,  which  is  about 
thirty-five  feet  high,  and  three  feet  thick  at  the  top. 
It  is  built  of  very  large,  slate-colored  brick,  has  a 
strong  embankment  of  earth  thrown  up  against  its 
inner  surface,  and  is  surrounded  by  a  moat  from  one 
to  three  hundred  feet  wide. 

In  the  vicinity  of  each  gate,  this  moat  or  canal  is 
filled' with  boats  of  every  description,  from  the  impe- 
rial "grain-junks"  down  to  small  fishing  boats.  The 
size  and  number  of  the  former  are  very  great,  and 
most  of  them  are  never  removed  from  Su-chau.  These 
are  enormous,  clumsy,  flat-bottomed  vessels  of  great 
capacity,  stationed  to  the  number  of  "  ten  thousand  " 
throughout  the  empire,  for  the  purpose  of  receiving 


A  TRIP   TO   StT-CHAU.  265 

a  certain  proportion  of  the  rice  raised  in  the  several 
provinces,  to  be  sent  annually  to  Peking  as  tribute  to 
the  emperor.  "We  saw  hundreds  that  had  decayed 
and  sunk  near  the  banks  of  the  moat,  nearly  lining  it 
all  around  the  city.  The  waste  of  the  imperial  reve- 
nue is  more  manifest  in  these  tribute-junks,  than  in 
anything  else  we  have  yet  observed  in  China.  Built 
at  an  expense  of  several  thousands  of  dollars  each, 
they  are  abandoned  in  three  or  four  years  as  useless, 
and  are  suffered  to  go  to  pieces.  We  were  told  the 
emperor  has  directed  them  to  be  given  to  the  poor 
for  firewood,  in  years  of  scarcity.  The  mandarins, 
however,  and  their  numerous  underlings,  take  good 
care  to  punish  any  one  who  dares  avail  himself  of  the 
royal  bounty ;  but  sell  them,  and  pocket  the  proceeds. 

On  the  north  side  of  the  city,  two-thirds  of  the 
width  of  the  moat  are  occupied,  for  a  mile  or  two, 
with  vast  quantities  of  timber  for  building,  mostly 
long,  slender,  round  sticks,  made  into  rafts,  and  on 
the  banks  opposite  are  the  wood  hongs.  With  this 
timber  on  one  side,  and  the  grain-junks  lying  along 
the  bank  close  under  the  wall  on  the  other,  there  is 
left  but  a  narrow  channel  for  the  passage  of  boats. 

The  wall  of  Su-chau  is  ten  or  twelve  English  miles 
in  circumference,  and  has  six  gates  at  equal  distances 
apart,  which  gives  a  space  of  two  miles  from  any  one 
of  them  to  the  next. 

We  directed  our  boatmen  to  take  us  to  the  one 
looking  toward  the  north — the  Tze-mung — "  Even 
gate"  as  we  learned  from  our  guide  that  the  princi- 
pal objects  of  interest  to  strangers,  were  more  easily 
accessible  from  this,  than  from  the  one  toward  the 
east,  which  is  the  first,  as  you  approach  from  Shang- 

12 


FIVE  YEARS   IN   CHINA. 

hai.  Here  we  stopped,  and  sending  for  sedans,  soon 
found  ourselves  passing  through  the  triple  gate, 
eighteen  or  twenty  feet  high,  into  the  city. 

We  were  borne  rapidly  through  streets  of  about 
the  same  width  and  general  appearance  as  those  of 
Shanghai,  before  described,  with  two  exceptions — 
they  were  better  paved,  and  far  more  cleanly.  The 
city  is  intersected  in  every  direction  by  numerous 
canals  of  clear  water,  alive  with  boats  passing  to  and 
fro.  The  streets  are  continued  across  these  canals  by 
means  of  handsome  arched  bridges  of  well-hewn 
granite,  thirty  or  forty  feet  high.  Generally  they 
consist  of  a  single  splendid  arch,  which  spans  '  the 
canal  at  one  sweep. 

We  were  first  carried  to  the  Yeu-miau-Jcwan — the 
largest  temple  in  Su-chau.  The  name  signifies 
"abstruse  contemplation"  and  it  belongs  to  the 
Tauist  sect.  "We  went  through  it,  above  and  below, 
saw  its  hundreds  of  gilded  images  standing  around 
its  walls,  and  conversed  with  its  numerous  priests,  to 
some  of  whom  we  gave  tracts.  It  has  three  stories,  is 
not  far  from  a  hundred  feet  high,  and  about  two  hun- 
dred long  at  the  base.  A  wide,  open  court,  separates 
it  from  a  smaller  one,  through  which  you  enter.  It 
is  said  to  contain  more  than  five  hundred  idols.  The 
approach  to  it  is  through  a  spacious  bazaar,  covered 
with  roofs  supported  by  wooden  posts,  and  open  on 
all  sides.  Here  are  exposed  for  sale  a  great  variety 
of  wares,  the  chief  of  which,  at  the  time  we  passed, 
were  china-ware,  pictures  and  toys. 

We  next  visited  the  Ching-hwang-miau  —  the 
11  City  Guardian *s  Temple"  —  a  large  edifice,  but 
much  smaller  than  the  one  we  had  just  left.     It  may 


A   TRIP   TO   SU-CHAU.  267 

be  a  hundred  feet  by  fifty  on  the  ground,  and  fifty 
feet  high.  Its  roof,  which  is  very  steep,  occupied  in 
height  one  half  )f  the  entire  building,  and  has  its 
four  corners  projecting  and  curved  upward,  with 
small  bells  hanging  from  them,  as  you  have  often 
seen  represented  in  pictures.  The  interior  is  but  one 
apartment,  having  the  "Three  Precious  Buddhas" — 
three  large,  richly  carved,  and  gilt  idols  in  a  sitting 
posture,  occupying  the  middle,  while  some  forty 
others,  a  little  larger  than  the  human  form,  stood 
around  the  sides. 

Thence  we  were  carried  to  the  Po-sz-tah — the 
"North  Temple  Pagoda" — the  tallest  of  the  four  or 
five  pagodas  within  the  walls  of  the  city.  It  has  nine 
stories,  and  is  nearly  two  hundred  feet  high.  We 
ascended  to  the  top  w7hich  commands  a  fine  pano- 
ramic view  of  the  country  for  thirty  or  forty  miles 
around.  Just  below  you,  on  every  side,  is  a  sea  of 
tiled  roofs,  so  closely  crowded  together  and  so  uni- 
form in  height,  that  they  actually  resemble  the  waves 
of  the  sea.  Here  and  there  a  temple  or  a  pagoda 
rising  above  them,  are  the  only  objects  that  break 
the  monotony  of  their  appearance.  You  may  trace 
the  wall  threading  its  course  among  them,  bounding 
the  extent  of  the  city  in  some  places,  but  in  others 
the  buildings  extend  far  beyond  it.  We  were  told 
that  half  of  Su-chau  was  outside  the  wall,  and  our 
own  observation  seemed  to  justify  the  remark. 

Off  to  the  southeast,  the  beautiful  lake  Ta-oo — 
"Great  Lake" — lay  spread  out  before  you,  and  on  the 
west,  a  noble  range  of  hills  or  mountains  stretches 
far  away  toward  the  setting  sun.  By  far  the  greater 
part  of  the  landscape,  however,  is  a  highly  cultivated 


268  FIVE  TEAKS  IN   CHINA. 

level  plain,  divided  by  innumerable  streams,  running 
in  all  directions,  like  lines  of  silver  gleaming  in  the 
sunlight,  and  threading  their  way  throughout  the 
wide-spread  scene,  till  lost  in  the  distant  horizon. 

We  took  a  reluctant  leave  of  this  magnificent 
view,  and  next  went  to  the  Sz-tsz-ling — The  "Lion 
Hills''' — so  called  from  the  resemblance  said  to  exist 
between  the  form  of  the  rocks  and  this  animal ;  but 
it  requires  a  stronger  imagination  than  mine  to  dis- 
cover the  likeness.  It  is  a  garden,  containing  a  few 
trees,  a  small  temple,  a  pool  crossed  in  several  places 
by  bridges,  and  huge  piles  of  artificial  rock-work, 
threaded  in  every  possible  direction  by  the  most  in- 
tricate and  puzzling  paths,  which  led  you  winding 
about  among  grottoes  and  caverns,  and  formed  a  per- 
fect labyrinth. 

From  this  we  returned  to  our  boat  and  went  along 
the  San-dong — " Hill  pools" — a  noted  canal,  densely 
crowded  on  both  sides  with  shops.  In  the  western 
suburbs  is  a  hill  call  Hu-keu-san — "Tiger  den  hill" — 
which  is  surmounted  by  a  temple  and  a  pagoda  seven 
stories  high.  Turning  out  of  the  canal  into  one  less 
frequented,  we  stopped  at  the  foot  of  the  hill  and 
walked  up  its  steep,  solitary  path.  Entering  through 
a  narrow,  arched  gateway  between  two  buildings,  we 
were  suddenly  ushered  into  a  large,  open  court,  ex- 
ceeding in  wild,  romantic  beauty,  anything  we  have 
before  seen  in  China. 

The  immense  rock  forming  the  irregular  floor  of 
the  area  has  successfully  resisted  the  attempts  of  the 
artisans  whose  sacrilegious  hands  would  reduce  to  a 
dull  plane  this  noble  piece  of  nature's  workmanship. 
One  part  of  it  rises  perpendicularly  two  or  three  feet 


A  TRIP   TO   ST7-CHAU.  269 

above  the  surrounding  portion,  and  is  called  Che- 
niung-sah — "Thousand men  rock"  because  it  is  said 
a  thousand  men  can  stand  at  one  time  upon  its  sur- 
face. In  another  part  are  natural  basins  filled  with 
limpid  water,  and  in  others  still,  are  enormous  trees 
of  rare  and  richly  varied  foliage,  growing  from  large 
crevices  in  the  rock.  A  long  flight  of  wide  steps  of 
hewn  stone,  conducts  you  to  the  main  temple. 

Passing  through  this  into  a  second  court,  paved 
with  brick,  and  turning  to  the  left  you  enter  another 
temple,  directly  in  the  rear  of  which  stands  the 
pagoda.  It  is  in  quite  a  decayed  state,  still  you  can 
reach  the  top  by  means  of  a  time-worn  staircase, 
which,  in  one  place,  is  entirely  gone ;  but  its  absence 
is  supplied  by  a  ladder,  and  the  prospect  from  the 
summit  will  amply  repay  your  efforts  in  reaching  it. 
You  have  the  same  grand  panoramic  view  as  from 
the  pagoda  within  the  city,  but  from  a  different  point 
of  observation.  Seeing  it  by  moonlight,  strongly 
tempts  one  to  be  sentimental ;  but  we  must  leave  the 
imagination  of  the  reader  to  supply  our  deficiency  in 
this  respect,  according  to  his  own  taste  and  fancy, 
while  we  betake  ourselves  to  the  more  necessary  and 
sensible  employment  of  sleep. 

On  Thursday  morning,  after  a  second  visit  to  the 
temple  and  pagoda  on  the  hill,  we  returned  in  our 
boat  to  the  Tsang-mung — the  principal  gate  on  the 
west  side  of  the  city.  "Within  this  gate  you  will  find 
the  finest  shops  and  streets.  Here,  the  buildings  are 
two  stories  high,  and  their  projecting  eaves  nearly 
meet,  as  in  all  other  Chinese  towns,  the  streets  being 
only  about  eight  feet  wide. 

The  shops,  generally,  are  very  narrow  in  front,  but 


270  FIVE  YEARS   IN   CHINA. 

very  deep,  and  the  greatest  possible  number  crowded 
together.  The  elegantly  lettered  and  gilded  shop 
signs,  the  display  of  embroidery,  far  exceeding  in 
richness  and  splendor  any  we  had  ever  seen ;  to- 
gether with  paintings,  lacquered  ware,  lanterns, 
clothing,  and  the  various  other  articles  of  Chinese 
manufacture,  give  the  streets,  crowded  with  human 
beings,  a  very  gay  and  animated  appearance. 

"We  went  into  several  shops,  made  two  or  three 
insignificant  purchases,  and  returned  to  our  boat 
highly  gratified  with  the  result  of  our  visit,  and  soon 
were  on  our  way  back  to  Shanghai,  making  the  cir- 
cuit of  the  wall  on  our  return. 

We  laid  aside  our  disguise  and.. put  on  our  own 
dress  while  yet  within  sight  of  the  gates  of  Su-chau, 
and  were,  as  might  be  expected,  objects  of  no  little 
curiosity  to  the  multitudes  in  the  houses  and  shops, 
on  both  sides  of  the  canal,  for  a  mile,  as  we  stood  on 
the  deck  of  our  boat.  We  were  the  first  Protestant 
Missionaries  who  ever  visited  this  celebrated  city, 
and  were  probably  the  first  foreigners  the  natives  had 
ever  seen  in  foreign  attire. 

Not  the  slightest  disposition  to  molest  us  was  man- 
ifested, nor  do  we  think  there  would  have  been  had 
we  entered  the  city  undisguised ;  but  the  multitudes 
collecting  around  us  for  curiosity,  would  have  effect- 
ually impeded  our  progress  at  the  very  outset,  and 
thus  defeated  the  objects  of  our  visit.  As  it  was,  our 
disguise  was  far  from  being  complete,  for,  not  liking 
to  submit  to  the  inconvenience  of  having  our  heads 
shaved,  we  attached  our  queues  and  concealed  our 
hair  as  well  as  might  be  without  it.  Several  times 
as  we  passed  along  the  streets  and  into  the  temples, 


A  TKIP  TO   SU-CHAU.  271 

we  heard  persons  say,  "  they  are  foreigners — they  are 
foreigners ;"  then  others  would  reply,  "  no,  they  are 
not  foreigners — they  have  queues — foreigners  have 
no  queues!"  So,  although  strongly  suspected,  we 
met  with  no  interruption.  Su-chau  is  about  eighty 
miles  distant  from  Shanghai,  and  it  covers  an  area 
three  or  four  times  greater  in  extent.  "We  have  no 
means  of  ascertaining  the  amount  of  the  population. 
Various  estimates  have  been  given,  from  one  to  five 
millions.  We  are  inclined  to  agree  with  those  who 
suppose  it  not  far  from  two  millions,  including  those 
living  in  the  suburbs  and  in  boats. 

We  stopped  at  a  small  village  on  the  canal,  six 
miles  from  Su-chau,  and  distributed  tracts  to  the 
eager  and  astonished  natives.  On  the  next  day,  Fri- 
day, we  made  a  second  halt  at  another  and  larger 
one,  called  Zoh-Jcia-pang,  the  "Zoh  family's  creek" — 
where  we  gave  away  many  more  tracts,  and  both  of 
us  preached  again  to  one  of  the  most  attentive 
crowds  we  ever  addressed.  By  giving  the  boatmen 
a  few  hundred  cash  extra  to  work  all  night,  we  got 
within  three  miles  of  Shanghai  early  on  Saturday 
morning,  and  walked  home  to  a  breakfast,  which  re- 
ceived ample  justice  at  our  hands. 


CHAPTEE    XXII. 

SINGULAR   CUSTOMS. 

Worship  of  Ancestors — Paper  Money — Offerings  to  the  Dead — A 
Wailing  Widow— Shallow  Grief— The  "  God  of  Wealth"— Offerings 
to  it — Its  Temple — "Man's  Birthday" — The  "Five  Grains" — 
"Fuel" — "Rice" — "  Mandarin's  Day" — Influx  of  Paupers — "  Open- 
ing the  Seals" — Modes  of  asserting  Innocence  and  Detecting  Guilt 
— Forms  of  Oaths — Gods  lose  their  Reputation — Practice  of  Weigh- 
ing annually  on  the  first  day  of  Summer-^Departure  of  Family 
for  the  United  States. 

April  10,  1851. — "We  are  in  the  midst  of  the  annual 
season  for  making  offerings  to  ancestors.  For  several 
days,  pieces  of  thin  yellow  paper,  cnt  so  as  to  resem- 
ble the  form  of  the  common  coin  of  China — copper 
cash — but  joined  at  the  edges,  have  been  fluttering 
in  the  wind,  from  the  tops  of  the  thousands  of  grave- 
stones and  graves  in  every  direction,  far  and  near. 
A  path  three  feet  wide  separates  our  premises  from  a 
more  thickly  tenanted  grave-field  than  you  ever  saw 
in  America,  and  more  than  you  ever  can  see  in  any 
other  country  but  China.  Roughly  hewn  pieces  of 
light  colored  granite,  ten  inches  wide,  two  feet  high 
above  the  ground,  and  rudely  carved  with  characters 
signifying  the  name,  age,  and  native  province  of  the 
deceased,  together  with  the  name  of  the  emperor 
reigning  at  the  time  of  the  demise — stones  of  this 
description  stand  at  the  head  of  nearly  every  grave. 


SINGULAR  CUSTOMS.  273 

The  field  of  death,  in  the  midst  of  which  we  live,  be- 
longs to  a  tribe  or  clan,  from  a  province  far  south- 
ward from  this  place,  called  Foh-kien.  They  are  a 
more  active,  intelligent,  energetic  race  of  men  than 
the  people  of  the  northern  provinces,  and  withal 
more  fierce  and  warlike.  Most  of  the  native  com- 
merce of  Shanghai  is  carried  on  by  Foh-kien  mer- 
chants, whom  you  cannot  distinguish  by  anything  in 
their  costumes  from  other  Chinese  in  affluent  or  easy 
circumstances  all  over  the  empire.  But  the  Foh-kien 
sailors  wear  an  unmistakable  badge  of  distinction. 
It  is  a  heavy  turban  of  black  cotton  cloth.  Here 
comes  one  now,  with  quite  a  large  basket  in  his 
hand,  followed  by  a  companion  with  a  straw  basket 
made  something  like  a  straw  bee-hive,  in  shape  and 
size.  It  is  filled  wTith  gilt  paper.  He  puts  it  down 
near  the  head  of  a  grave,  and  sets  the  whole  on  fire, 
with  the  belief  that  when  it  is  consumed,  his  friend  in 
the  spirit-world  immediately  receives  it,  transformed 
into  an  earthen  jar  of  corresponding  dimensions,  and 
filled  with  money.  Now  he  takes  the  cover  from  the 
basket  on  his  arm,  which  contains  a  half  dozen  or 
more  tea-cups  and  plates — the  former  he  fills  with 
wine  and  sets  them  in  a  row  before  the  headstone, 
then  he  places  the  plates  in  a  second  row  behind 
them.  The  latter  contain  boiled  rice,  pork,  fish,  ve- 
getables, fruits,  preserves,  etcetera,  differing  in  quality 
and  variety,  according  to  the  ability  of  the  individual 
providing  them.  When  his  offering  is  thus  arranged, 
he  steps  a  pace  or  two  backward,  and  bows  lowly  and 
reverently  toward  the  stone,  praying  the  ghost  of  his 
departed  friend  or  relative,  to  give  him  a  prosperous 
voyage  back  to  his  native  province.     After  allowing 

12* 


274  FIVE   YEARS   IN   CHINA. 

his  dishes  to  remain  a  few  minutes,  he  replaces  them 
in  his  basket,  and  carries  them  away  to  regale  him- 
self with  the  substance  of  the  food,  believing  that 
the  spirit  of  the  dead  has  feasted  to  satiety  on  the 
fumes.  Perhaps  the  poor  fellow  was  not  able  to  pur- 
chase the  articles  used  on  the  occasion,  and  has  bor- 
rowed them  for  the  purpose,  at  a  premium  of  a  few 
cash.  If  this  be  the  case,  he  returns  them  to  their 
rightful  owner — the  proprietor  of  an  eating-house — 
when  he  has  finished  his  devotions. 

The  smoke  of  these  idolatrous  offerings  is  seen  ris- 
ing from  numberless  mounds  and  graves,  all  over 
the  face  of  this  level  country,  as  far  as  the  eye  can 
reach.  The  sounds  of  lamentation,  too,  fall  upon 
your  ear,  wherever  you  go.  See !  there  is  a  woman 
with  two  or  three  little  children,  just  come  to  that 
mound  to  have  her  customary  annual  wailing.  She 
has  burnt  her  straw  jar  of  paper  money,  and  now 
stands  near  and  begins  her  mourning.  She  has 
brought  a  female  companion  along  with  her  to  hold 
her  from  falling,  while  she  indulges  her  excessive 
grief.  Her  cries  are  piercing  enough  to  reach  the 
heart  of  the  most  unfeeling,  did  you  not  know  they 
were  "  gotten  up  "  expressly  for  the  occasion.  But 
it  is  about  the  driest  crying  you  ever  saw.  She  wipes 
her  eyes  and  face,  but  there  are  no  tears.  She  strug- 
gles and  tries  to  fall,  because  she  knows  she  cannot, 
while  her  friend  holds  her  by  the  arm.  Should  her 
attendant  let  her  go,  and  allow  her  to  fall,  you  would 
see  an  animated  exhibition  of  a  passion  somewhat 
different  from  grief.  But  her  lament  has  ceased,  and 
they  all  walk  coolly  away,  talking  and  laughing  as 
merrily  as  you  can  well  imagine. 


SINGULAR   CUSTOMS.  275 

Ancestral  worship  lias  a  stronger  hold  upon  the 
minds  and  hearts  of  this  singular  people  than  the 
worship  of  idols,  and  we  shall  doubtless  find  it  one 
of  the  last  strongholds  of  Satan  to  be  given  up.  Di- 
vided into  three  numerous  sects  (Buddhists,  Tauists, 
and  Confucianists),  they  are  all  united  in  this  one 
practice  of  paying  divine  honors  to  their  deceased 
ancestors.  I  have  made  it  the  subject  of  my  public 
teaching  for  some  days  ;  but  while  nearly  all  admit 
the  force  of  my  reasoning,  they  will  cleave  as  tena- 
ciously as  ever  to  their  delusion.  We  find  one  en- 
couragement, however,  to  persevere,  in  the  assurances 
of  the  word  of  God,  that  the  days  of  heathen  super- 
stition are  numbered,  and  sooner  or  later  it  must  fall, 
before  the  onward  coming  of  the  all-victorious  Im- 
manuel. 

You  need  not  come  to  China  to  learn  that  there  is 
such  a  divinity  as  Money,  but  perhaps  you  are  not 
aware  that  the  fifth  day  of  the  first  month  in  the 
Chinese  calendar  is  celebrated  by  the  natives  as  the 
birth-day  of  the  god  of  wealth.  The  devotees  of  this 
deity  spend  the  night  preceding  his  birth-day,  in 
burning  red  wax-candles,  incense  sticks,  and  gilt 
paper  before  his  image,  which  is  set  up  in  their 
dwellings.  A  deafening  din  of  those  instruments  so 
delightfully  musical  in  Chinese  estimation — gongs, 
drums,  trumpets,  cymbals,  horns,  and  many  others — 
forms  a  part  of  the  homage  paid  to  this  idol,  and  is 
supposed  to  be  particularly  acceptable  to  him.  They 
also  place  before  it  a  variety  of  eatables,  differing  in 
quantity  and  value,  according  to  the  extent  to  which 
they  have  been  blessed  with  the  favors  of  this  widely 
worshipped  divinity.     A  pig's  head,  a  sheep's  head, 


276  FIVE   YEAES   IN   CHINA. 

and  a  live  fish,  together  with  certain  fruits,  are  the 
offerings  usually  presented  to  him.  Sometimes  a 
whole  pig  and  a  whole  sheep,  killed  and  dressed,  are 
placed  before  his  shrine.  The  fish  that  one  may  see 
carried  about  the  streets  for  sale  in  large  wooden 
buckets  of  water,  on  the  third  and  fourth  days  of 
this  month,  are  designed  expressly  for  this  purpose. 
They  are  from  eight  inches  to  a  foot  and  a  half  in 
length,  and  have  a  bit  of  thread  passed  through  the 
fin  on  the  back  by  which  they  are  lifted  out. 

The  object  of  these  ceremonies  is  to  induce  the 
potent  deity  fo  come  to  their  abodes  and  take  up  his 
residence  with  them  for  the  coming  year.  The  peo- 
ple believing,  that  if  they  can  persuade  him  to  com- 
ply with  the  invitation  thus  extended,  they  will 
assuredly  succeed  in  their  various  enterprises  for 
making  money.  The  meats  offered  to  the  god  on 
hisjiatal  day,  are  cooked  by  the  family  on  the  mor- 
row, and  guests  are  invited  to  the  feast.  Occasion- 
ally, the  live  fish  is  put  into  the  river  again  and 
allowed  to  go  scot-free. 

The  temple  of  the  god  of  wealth  is  situated  on  the 
first  street  leading  eastward,  after  you  enter  the 
North  Gate  of  the  city.  It  was  built  by  the  money- 
brokers,  and  during  the  past  year  they  have  repaired 
and  repainted  the  front  part  where  plays  are  per- 
formed. The  ceremonies  at  this  temple  are  similar 
to  those  in  private  houses,  only  on  a  larger  scale ; 
and  plays  are  acted  here  on  various  occasions  during 
the  year  in  honor  of  this  idol. 

The  seventh  day  of  the  first  month  is  called  "man's 
birth-day"  but  the  idea  is  not,  as  one  would  be  led 
to  suppose  from  the  expression,  the  anniversary  of 


SINGULAR   CUSTOMS.  277 

the  day  on  which  the  first  man  came  into  existence ; 
but  is  the  day  which  is  believed  by  the  Chinese  to 
determine  the  physical  condition  of  the  people  dur- 
ing the  whole  year.  They  say,  if  the  weather  be 
fine  on  this  day,  there  will  be  little  sickness  through- 
out the  year;  but  if  otherwise,  disease  will  be  pre- 
valent, and  the  mortality  great.  Judging  from  this 
criterion,  the  natives  say  the  year  will  be  six  or 
seven  parts  favorable  out  of  ten,  inasmuch  as  a  por- 
tion of  the  day  was  foul.  In  other  words,  that  about 
three  out  of  ten  in  the  population  will  be  afflicted 
with  disease  or  death. 

The  same  is  predicted  of  the  "five  grains"  on  the 
eighth  day,  that  is  of  men  on  the  seventh.  If  the 
day  be  fair,  a  year  of  plenty  is  looked  for ;  and  if  the 
contrary,  a  year  of  scarcity  in  the  productions  of  the 
soil.  Unfortunately  for  their  prospects,  the  day  was 
a  very  rainy  and  stormy  one.  When  such  is  the 
case,  the  people  console  themselves  with  the  more 
rational  reflection  that  the  year  does  not  always  take 
its  gauge  from  the  eighth  day  of  the  first  month. 

The  same  superstitious  ideas  are  extended  to  the 
ninth  day  also,  with  reference  to  fuel ;  that  if  the 
weather  be  fine,  this  article  will  be  abundant  and 
cheap,  and  vice  versa.  So  with  regard  to  the  rice 
crop  in  particular,  on  the  tenth. 

Bice,  though  included  in  the  "  five  kinds  of  grain," 
is  of  such  preeminent  importance  in  the  sustenance 
of  the  people,  that  they  have  a  day  for  it  separately, 
and  form  their  anticipations  concerning  the  supply  of 
the  ensuing  year  from  the  atmospherical  character  of 
this  day,  the  tenth  of  the  first  month.  It  was  a  very 
delightful  one,  the  air  being  mild  and  pleasant  and 


278  FIVE  YEARS   IN   CHINA. 

the  sun  shining  brightly,  after  several  days  of  cold, 
cloudy,  and  stormy  weather.  So,  we  suppose,  the 
natives  will  have  their  hopes  sufficiently  elated  con- 
cerning their  rice  crops,  to  counterbalance  any  de- 
pression they  may  have  suffered  on  the  eighth,  the 
day  of  a  heavy  snow  storm,  wrhich  was  regarded  by 
them,  as  you  noticed  above,  the  birth-day  of  the  five 
kinds  of  grain.  They  group  these  four  birth-days 
together  and  say,  the  seventh,  man/  the  eighth, 
grain/  the  ninth,  fuel/  the  tenth,  rice. 

The  twelfth  of  the  first  month  is  called  Mandarin's 
day.  From  the  kind  of  weather  on  this  day,  the 
mandarins  augur  the  probability  and  facility  of  their 
promotion  to  a  higher  rank ;  and  the  literati,  their 
prospects  of  success  in  obtaining  degrees  during  the 
year.  The  twelfth  of  the  first  month,  or  the  "first 
twelfth  "  being  the  day  which  terminates  the  fortunes 
of  the  mandarins  and  literary  men ;  the  twelfth  of 
the  second  month,  or  the  u  second  twelfth  "  does  the 
same  for  men  engaged  in  trade ;  and  the  twelfth  of 
the  third  month,  or  the  "  third  twelfth  "  for  husband- 
men. 

Alas  for  the  prospects  of  the  scholars  and  officials, 
the  day  was  a  very  rainy  and  disagreeable  one. 

March  8. — Several  hundreds,  some  say  nine  hun- 
dred, Chinese  men,  women,  and  children,  from,  the 
districts  adjacent  to  the  Yellow  Biver,  having  left 
their  homes  in  consequence  of  the  destruction  of  their 
crop  by  the  late  inundation,  came  on  Friday  last,  and 
encamped  in  three  divisions  near  some  temples  out- 
side the  Great  South  Gate.  The  mandarins  hearing 
of  this  new  and  formidable  reinforcement  to  the 
ranks  of  the  beggar  army  of  Shanghai,  proceeded  to 


SINGULAR   CUSTOMS.  279 

the  spot  on  Sunday  and  hired  them  to  leave,  at  the 
rate  of  about  one  hundred  cash  per  head.  So  on 
Monday  morning  they  took  up  a  line  of  march 
through  the  city,  and  came  out  at  the  North  Gate. 
The  line,  as  it  passed  along  toward  the  Su-chau 
bridge,  must  have  been  a  mile  or  more  in  length. 
The  men,  carrying  each  his  two  baskets  of  cooking 
utensils,  scanty  mats  and  rags,  for  bedding  and  cloth- 
ing, and  a  bundle  or  two  of  straw  for  fuel,  all  slung 
from  a  stick  across  his  shoulder ;  and  in  many  in- 
stances, smiling  infants  were  seen  among  the  con- 
tents of  the  baskets. 

On  the  twentieth  day  of  the  first  month,  according 
to  long  established  usage,  the  public  offices  were 
open  for  the  transaction  of  business,  having  been 
closed  since  the  twentieth  of  the  last  month  of  the 
old  year.  The  native  term  for  the  event  signifies 
"  opening  the  seals."  The  people  have  a  supersti- 
tious belief  that  all  the  affairs  of  the  unseen  world 
are  suspended  on  the  one  and  resumed  on  the  other 
of  these  same  days ;  and  the  priests  advertise  the  fact 
by  proclamation  to  that  effect,  on  long,  narrow  strips 
of  red  paper,  pasted  on  the  sides  of  the  entrance  to 
the  temples  of  the  deities  presiding  over  matters  in 
the  infernal  regions. 

A  native  adage  for  this  day  runs  as  follows : 

"  If  it  rains  on  the  twentieth  of  the  first  month 
Cotton  will  not  yield  one  tan*  to  the  mau\ 
But  if  the  sun  gleams  out  but  once, 
Each  mau  will  produce  several  tan." 

**  A  (an,  or  as  foreigners  call  it,  a  picul,  is  100  Chinese  "  kin  n  or 
"catties,"  or  about  133  pounds  avoirdupois. 

\  A  mau  is    one-sixth  of   an   English    acre.     The  word    is   pro- 


280  FIVE  YEARS  IN   CHINA. 

The  sun  appeared  for  a  short  time  among  the  clouds, 
and  this,  according  to  the  above  quoted  saying,  is 
quite  a  sufficient  guaranty  for  an  abundant  crop. 

A  few  days  ago,  five  men  were  seen  for  several 
mornings  in  succession,  walking  along  some  of  the 
most  frequented  streets  of  Shanghai,  in  single  file  and 
bareheaded,  kneeling  and  bowing  their  heads  to  the 
pavement,  at  every  three  steps.  Each  man  carried  a 
bunch  of  lighted  incense  sticks  in  one  hand,  and  the 
foremost  had  on  his  back  a  large,  square  piece  of 
yellow  cotton  cloth,  on  which  characters  were  in- 
scribed, indicating  their  names,  and  setting  forth 
that  an  individual,  whose  name  was  also  given,  had 
charged  them  with  stealing  a  sum  of  money. 

These  prostrations  were  performed  by  way  of  call- 
ing heaven  and  earth  to  witness  that  they  were 
innocent  of  the  crime  alleged  against  them.  On  in- 
quiry, I  learned  that  they  went  to  the  six  gates  of  the 
city,  going  through  the  same  ceremonies  all  the  way, 
in  order  to  give  the  greatest  possible  publicity  to 
their  protestations  of  innocence.  The  Chinese  call 
this  act  Ran  yin  chwang,  which  implies  making  a 
statement  of  the  facts  in  the  case  to  the  authorities  of 
the  invisible  world,  and  imploring  their  interposition 
and  aid.  They  have  a  superstitious  belief  that  if  the 
persons  making  this  public  and  solemn  avowal  are, 
notwithstanding,  guilty  of  the  crime  laid  to  their 
charge  they  will  soon  die,  or  be  visited  with  some 
other  signal  punishment  as  a  mark  of  the  displeasure 
of  Heaven. 

It  is  also  quite  common  to  hear  them  taking  an 

nounced  to  rhyme  with  how.  So  are  all  other  Chinese  syllables 
represented  in  this  book  by  the  letters  au. 


■ 


SINGULAR   CUSTOMS.  281 

oath  in  a  form  too  often  heard  among  us.  For  in- 
stance :  "  If  I  have  done  this,  may  Heaven  strike 
me  dead."  "  Heaven  knows  I  have  not  done  this." 
Or,  "  If  I  am  guilty  of  this  crime  may  I  disappear 
with  the  sun,"  i.  e.,  may  I  die  when  the  sun  goes 
down.  Another  form  is,  "  May.  the  gods  take  me 
away  to  the  infernal  regions." 

The  sun  is  sometimes  worshipped  and  invoked 
under  similar  circumstances,  and  with  a  similar  in- 
tent. This  is  because  he  is  supposed  to  see  and  know 
all  that  passes  on  earth.  Often,  too,  heaven  and  the 
sun  are  both  included  in  the  same  acts  of  worship 
and  invocation. 

The  same  ceremony,  in  substance  and  design,  is 
often  performed  before  the  idols  in  temples.  The 
accuser  and  accused  present  themselves  before  the 
images,  and  go  through  the  usual  forms  of  devotion 
to  these  imaginary  deities — burning  incense  sticks, 
red  wax  candles  and  gilt  paper,  at  the  same  time 
reverently  kneeling  and  "  knocking  head."  It  is 
currently  believed  by  the  mass  of  the  people,  that  in 
such  cases  also,  the  guilty  will  be  punished  with 
death,  sickness,  or  some  other  dire  calamity,  while 
the  innocent  will  remain  unharmed. 

But  it  often  occurs,  as  might  be  expected,  that 
neither  of  the  parties  suffers  any  injury  whatever, 
and  vice  versa,  that  some  misfortune  happens  to  both ; 
or,  that  trouble  comes  upon  the  one  conscious  of  in- 
nocence, while  the  other,  who  knows  he  is  the 
offender,  not  only  escapes,  but  prospers.  One  might 
reasonably  suppose  that  the  frequency  of  such  a  re- 
sult would  destroy  the  faith  of  the  people  in  the 
value  of  this  method  of  establishing  innocence  and 


282  FIVE   YEARS   IN   CHINA. 

detecting  and  punishing  guilt.  But  it  does  not. 
And  how  do  you  think  they  account  for  these  fail- 
ures in  the  administration  of  justice  ?  They  say  of 
heaven,  if  the  appeal  was  made  to  it,  that  it  either 
has  no  eyes  or  was  not  observing  at  the  time.  And 
with  reference  to  the  idols,  that  they  are  inefficient,  or 
stupid,  or  lazy,  or  indifferent  about  the  matter,  and 
unwilling  to  interfere;  or  else,  that  the  intelligent 
spirit  of  the  idol  was  absent,  having  passed  out  through 
the  hole  in  the  back,  which  is  made  on  purpose  to 
allow  ingress  and  egress  at  pleasure  !  So  that  some- 
times it  is  a  god  and  sometimes  it  is  not.  How 
forcibly  this  reminds  us  of  the  keen  irony  of  Elijah 
to  the  prophets  of  Baal,  when  "he  mocked  them, 
and  said,  cry  aloud ;  for  he  is  a  god :  either  he  is 
talking,  or  he  is  pursuing,  or  he  is  on  a  journey,  or 
peradventure  he  sleepeth,  and  must  be  awaked." 
Surely,  "  they  that  make  them  are  like  unto  them, 
so  is  every  one  that  trusteth  in  them."  If  the  "  in- 
telligent heart"  is  absent  too  often,  which  is  inferred 
from  successive  unfavorable  results  of  cases  pre- 
sented to  him — the  idol  loses  his  reputation,  his 
shrine  is  neglected,  and  his  temple  falls  into  decay, 
until  a  lucky  issue  of  some  cases  brought  before  him 
restores  him  to  popular  favor  once  more.  Then  he 
gets  a  new  nose  if  the  old  one  has  dropped  off;  or  a 
new  hand  or  foot,  and  his  hideous  form  receives  a 
fresh  coat  of  paint  or  gilding.  His  altar  is  once  more 
crowded,  and  the  incense  of  a  blind  adoration  smokes 
before  him  day  and  night — fearfully  emblematical  of 
the  smoke  of  the  future  torment  of  his  deluded  wor- 
shippers. How  long,  O  Lord !  how  long  shall  these 
things  be  ? 


SINGULAR  CUSTOMS. 

Weighing  Day. — The  first  day  of  summer,  accord- 
ing to  Chinese  reckoning,  fell  this  year  on  the  sixth 
of  May.  It  is  a  prevailing  custom  of  the  people  to 
have  themselves  weighed  on  this  day.  They  have  a 
very  silly  superstition  connected  with  this  practice. 
Many  profess  to  believe,  that  unless  they  get  weighed 
on  the  first  day  of  summer,  they  will  lose  flesh  as  the 
season  advances,  from  illness  or  some  other  cause ; 
but,  that  being  weighed  on  this  day,  will  be  a  pre- 
ventive of  such  a  misfortune.  It  is  quite  surprising 
how  they  can  really  credit  this  idle  fancy,  for  they 
must  have  thousands  of  testimonies  to  its  falsity  every 
year,  in  the  fact,  that  many  who  have  been  weighed 
do,  nevertheless,  fall  off  in  weight  from  various 
causes;  while,  on  the  other  hand,  many  who  do  not 
get  weighed,  increase  in  flesh.  But,  as  in  the  case 
of  the  superstition  before  described,  innumerable  de- 
monstrations of  its  utter  futility,  are  not  sufficient  to 
induce  the  deluded  people  to  renounce  it.  Long  es- 
tablished custom,  let  it  involve  whatever  absurdities 
it  may,  evidently  has  far  greater  authority  than  the 
most  palpable  truth.  The  antiquity  of  any  practice, 
if  this  be  its  only  recommendation,  is  always  a  suffi- 
cient one  to  the  Chinese,  however  opposed  to  the 
plainest  dictates  of  reason,  common  sense,  and  matter- 
of-fact. 

The  day  is  also  regarded  as  a  sort  of  holiday,  and 
there  may  be  many,  who,  without  any  very  strong 
confidence  in  the  act,  as  an  insurance-policy  against 
becoming  lighter,  still  get  weighed  from  the  desire  so 
common  among  ourselves,  to  know  one's  own  weight. 
They  often  indulge  in  no  little  merriment  on  the 
occasion,  by  supposing  themselves  pigs — a  supposi- 


284  FIVE   YEARS   IN   CHINA. 

tion,  by  the  way,  quite  consistent  with  truth,  in  many 
instances — and  estimating  their  value  as  such,  at  the 
market  price  of  pork. 

The  health  of  Mrs.  Taylor  having  entirely  failed, 
it  was  thought,  on  consultation,  that  the  only  pros- 
pect of  restoration  lay  in  a  long  sea  voyage.  She, 
however,  was  unwilling  to  resort  to  this  expedient, 
if  it  would  take  me  also  from  the  field.  Finally,  an 
opportunity  offering  to  return  to  the  United  States, 
by  a  vessel  in  which  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Bridgman,  and 
Mrs.  Boone  were  to  be  passengers — also  in  quest  of 
health  ;  and  finding  she  could  go  with  them,  thus  ob- 
viating the  necessity  of  my  leaving  my  work  to  ac- 
company her,  she  consented  to  a  prospective  absence 
of  a  year,  hoping,  by  the  expiration  of  that  time,  to 
be  again  in  China.  She,  therefore,  together  with  the 
gentleman  and  ladies  above  named,  sailed  for  New 
York  on  the  5th  of  February,  1852,  in  the  ship 
"  Adelaide,"  commanded  by  Captain  Jacob  Cobb, 
whose  kind  attentions  to  my  wife  and  two  children 
on  that  voyage  will  ever  be  gratefully  remembered. 
They  reached  America  in  safety,  after  a  voyage  of 
one  hundred  and  thirty-five  days,  with  the  Chinese 
woman  who  accompanied  them  as  a  nurse. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

JOURNEY   TO   NAN-KING,  THE   ANCIENT  CAPITAL  OF  CHINA. 

Signification  of  the  Name — My  Chinese  Costume — Su-chau — Grand 
Canal — Custom  House — Bridges— Boats — City  of  Vu-sih — Hills — 
Novel  mode  of  Fishing — Fishing  Cormorants — Grain-junks — City 
of  Chang-chau — City  of  Tan-yang — Adventure  with  a  Barber — 
Wheelbarrow  ride — Face  of  Country — City  of  Chinkiang-fu — Kin- 
shan,  or  Golden  Island — Cast  iron  Pagoda. 

The  name  Nan-king  means  Southern  Capital,  or 
Court;  and  Peh-king — called  by  foreigners  "Pekin" 
— Northern  Capital. 

The  usual  route  to  this  famous  city  leads  yon 
through  Su-chau,  which  was  described  in  a  former 
chapter ;  and  as  the  reader  may,  from  that  sketch, 
be  sufficiently  familiar  with  the  portion  of  it  leading 
to  that  city — which  ordinarily  requires  two  days' 
travel — we  need  not  delay  for  any  further  description. 

I  had  before  learned  to  eat  with  the  chopsticks, 
and  on  this  occasion  I  donned  the  native  costume 
throughout — had  my  head  shaved,  except  the  back 
part,  on  which  the  hair  was  left  for  the  purpose  of 
attaching  to  it  an  artificial  queue — procured  a  pair 
of  dark-brown,  goggle-eyed  spectacles,  the  glasses 
being  of  smoky  quartz,  and  about  the  size  and  shape 
of  a  Spanish  dollar.  My  clothing  was  of  the  better 
sort.     A  cap  of  bluish-black  satin,  with  a  close-fitting 


286  FIVE  TEARS   IN   CHINA. 

crown — wide,  turned-up  rim  of  black  velvet  over 
thick  pasteboard,  and  a  heavy  tassel  of  red  silk,  fall- 
ing from  a  round,  brass  knob  on  the  apex,  around  the 
sides  of  the  crown.  A  long,  blue  gown  of  figured 
silk,  reaching  to  the  feet — a  pair  of  tightly-fitting 
pantaloons,  the  legs  of  which  were  not  at  all  joined 
at  the  top,  but  each  was  drawn  on  by  itself,  and  tied 
about  the  ankles  with  long  silken  strings ;  and  a  blue 
broadcloth  sack  or  coat,  large  enough  to  envelop  two 
such  men,  while  one  might  almost  crawl  into  the 
sleeves.  My  shoes  were  of  drab  cloth,  on  which  fig- 
ures cut  out  of  black  velvet  were  pasted;  the  broad 
toes  were  turned  up,  and  the  soles,  of  felt,  were  an 
inch  and  a  half  in  thickness.  I  had  hired  a  native  of 
Nan-king  as  a  guide,  and  a  boat,  with  three  boatmen, 
for  a  conveyance. 

Leaving  the  walls  of  Su-chau,  your  boat  passes  on 
westward  through  the  densely  populated  suburbs, 
some  two  miles  in  extent.  You  are  now  on  the 
Grand  canal  leading  from  Hang-chau  to  Peking. 
It  is  700  miles  long,  and  170,000  men  were  employed 
in  its  construction  2,000  years  ago.  It  is  here  about 
150  feet  in  width,  and  is  filled  with  boats  of  every 
description  plying  to  and  fro,  from  the  unwieldy 
grain-junk  to  the  miserable  shell  of  the  beggar. 
Seven  miles  from  Su-chau  you  come  to  a  populous 
village,  at  which  is  a  Custom-house.  Here,  your 
boat  must  undergo  an  examination,  in  order  to  which 
it  passes  under  a  bridge  from  the  main  canal  into  a 
small  one  on  the  left.  A  custom-house  officer  comes 
on  board,  examines  every  part  of  the  boat,  looks  into 
your  basket  and  trunks,  but  finding  nothing  except 
the  ordinary  travelling  appurtenances  of  a  Chinese  he 


JOITKNEY  TO  NAN-KING.  287 

departs,  after  receiving  his  customary  fee  of  fourteen 
cash — the  only  contraband  article  in  the  boat  not  hav- 
ing arrested  his  attention,  although  sitting  directly 
before  his  eyes — a  live  foreigner!  Having  passed 
this  ordeal,  your  boat  makes  a  circuitous  route  of  half 
a  mile  to  get  back  again  into  the  main  canal.  Large 
boats  and  junks  do  not  leave  it  at  all,  but  are  in- 
spected at  a  point  between  the  two  extremities  of  the 
small  side  canal. 

If,  on  seeing  some  of  the  finely  arched  bridges,  not 
many  miles  from  Shanghai,  which  are  evidently  quite 
ancient,  you  have  ever  entertained  a  doubt  that  they 
are  beyond  the  skill  of  native  artificers  of  the  present 
time,  that  doubt  will  be  dispelled,  when  you  here  see 
a  new  one,  of  light  granite,  equal  to  any  you  have 
before  passed,  and  bearing  an  inscription  which  in- 
forms you  it  was  built  but  ten  years  ago. 

Notwithstanding  the  width  of  the  canal,  so  dense 
is  the  crowd  of  boats  at  this  place  that  you  find  it 
quite  difficult  to  make  your  way  among  them.  But 
finally  succeeding,  you  have  fair  sailing,  with  no 
scarcity  of  company  for  the  rest  of  the  day.  A  noble 
range  of  hills  lies  in  full  view  off  to  the  South,  but 
the  banks  of  the  canal  are  so  high  as  to  preclude  the 
sight  of  nearer  objects. 

About  twenty-seven  miles  from  Su-chau  is  the  pop- 
ulous city  of  Yu-sih.  On  approaching  it  you  will  see 
quantities  of  rice-straw,  in  numerous  stacks,  for  burn- 
ing bricks  and  earthen-ware  in  the  large  circular 
kilns  near  by.  When  your  boat  comes  up  to  the 
walls,  it  turns  abruptly  into  the  moat  on  the  left,  and 
passes  around  the  southern  side  of  the  city.  Here 
you  have  a  beautiful  view  of  the  Sih-shan  rising  up 


FIVE  YEARS   IN   CHINA. 

before  you — a  high  hill,  from  which  the  city  takes  its 
name.  At  its  foot,  toward  you,  is  another  hill,  but 
much  smaller,  crowned  with  a  seven-storied  pagoda. 
With  the  walls  on  your  right,  you  have  some  slightly 
elevated  grounds  on  the  left,  filled  with  grassy,  grave 
mounds,  and  covered  with  a  pretty  shrubbery  of 
stunted  pines.  The  same  swarming  population,  both 
on  land  and  water,  meets  your  eye  here  that  you  find 
almost  everywhere  else  in  China.  Your  boat  stops 
at  the  west  gate,  while  the  boatmen  go  to  purchase 
provisions  for  the  journey.  After  some  little  exercise 
of  your  patience  they  return,  and  you  are  soon  on 
your  way  again,  proceeding  in  a  northwesterly 
course,  having  another  chain  of  hills  still  on  the 
south,  in  a  line  parallel  with  the  canal. 

You  may  here  chance  to  see  a  mode  of  fishing  that 
is  quite  novel  to  you.  The  net — if  it  may  be  called 
a  net — is  like  a  truncated  cone  of  basket-work,  open 
at  both  ends,  about  three  feet  high,  one  and  a  half  in 
diameter  at  the  top  and  four  at  the  bottom.  A  man 
gets  into  this  and  wades  into  the  water  with  it — the 
larger  opening  being  downward.  He  lifts  it  up  a 
few  inches  from  the  bottom  of  the  canal,  and  walks 
slowly  about  till  he  comes  to  a  place  where  he  sup- 
poses there  are  fish — perhaps  previously  baited — or 
until  he  feels  them  about  his  feet.  After  standing 
perfectly  still  for  a  few  minutes,  with  his  basket-net 
lifted  up  to  his  arm-pits,  he  suddenly  thrusts  it  down 
and  then  feels  about  carefully  with  his  feet  till  he 
ascertains  whether  or  not  he  has  a  fish  inclosed.  If 
he  has  succeeded  in  entrapping  any,  he  soon  secures 
his  prey  with  his  hands  and  tosses  him  on  the  shore. 

You  will  also  frequently  see  small  boats  having 


JOURNEY   TO   NANKING.  289 

several  sticks  a  foot  and  a  half  long,  projecting  hori- 
zontally from  the  sides  or  "  gunwales,"  and  on  these 
are  perched  from  a  dozen  to  twenty  tame  cormorants 
trained  for  fishiDg.  A  bit  of  cord,  and  sometimes  a 
ring  of  wire,  is  fastened  around  the  neck  to  prevent 
the  bird  swallowing  the  fish  when  captured.  The 
fisherman  has  a  small  bamboo  pole  six  or  eight  feet 
long,  which  has  a  bit  of  cord  ten  inches  long,  having 
a  knot  in  the  end,  fastened  to  one  extremity.  With 
this  pole  he  drives  the  cormorants  from  the  perch  into 
the  water,  and  then  assists  them  into  the  boat  again 
by  dexterously  catching  the  knot  into  a  small  hook 
that  is  attached  to  the  foot  of  the  bird  for  the  purpose. 
The  bird  dives,  and  if  successful  in  seizing  a  fish, 
brings  it  up  to  its  master,  who  pulls  it  into  the  boat 
with  its  prey,  removes  the  string  from  its  neck  and 
gives  it  a  handful  of  "  bean-curd  "  as  a  reward  for  its 
toil.  These  singular  birds  may  be  seen  in  great  num- 
bers in  the  vicinity  of  "  The  Hills  "  thirty  miles  west 
from  Shanghai.  We  have  seen  one  of  them  bring 
up  a  fish  a  foot  and  "&  half  in  length  and  of  several 
pounds  weight.  The  fisherman  animates  them  to 
dive,  by  a  peculiar  shout,  and  it  is  quite  surprising  to 
observe  the  esprit  du  corps  that  is  manifested  by  these 
cormorants  themselves  when  a  hundred  or  more  are 
fishing  together,  urged  on  by  the  well-known  voices 
of  their  several  owners,  in  four  or  five  boats,  like 
hunters  encouraging  their  hounds.  This  mode  of 
fishing  always  presents  a  most  novel,  exciting,  and 
interesting  scene. 

Many  hundreds  of  huge,  unwieldy  grain-junks 
will  be  met  with  all  along  your  route ;  some  lying 
moored  near  the  towns  and  cities,  and  others  moving 

13 


290  FIVE   TEAKS   IN   CHINA. 

slowly  along  the  canal,  by  means  of  their  enormous 
fan-shaped  mat  sails,  if  the  wind  be  fair ;  or,  if  it  be 
adverse,  towed  with  long  ropes  by  fifteen  or  twenty 
men  walking  on  the  bank. 

As  the  canal  is  not  infested  with  pirates  in  this 
region,  your  boatmen  at  their  own  choice,  ply  the  oar 
all  night,  and  soon  after  daylight  you  reach  the  city 
of  Chang-chau,  about  thirty  miles  from  Vu-sih.  This 
is  also  a  large  walled  city,  with  its  moat  filled  with 
boats  and  grain-junks.  Every  few  miles  you  pass 
villages  on  the  banks,  and  you  have  distant  hill  scen- 
ery in  view  most  of  the  time,  but  the  country  in  the 
immediate  vicinity  of  the  canal  is  quite  level  and 
presents  no  striking  points  of  difference  from  that 
near  Shanghai. 

Toward  the  close  of  the  day,  a  pagoda  in  the  dis- 
tance indicates  that  you  are  approaching  Tan-yang — 
another  walled  city,  large  and  populous,  bearing  the 
same  general  features  with  the  two  just  named.  It 
is  some  thirty  miles  westward  vfrom  Chang-chau,  and 
is  a  city  of  much  trade,  having  the  canal  around  its 
walls  filled  with  boats  and  junks.  Here  as  my  head 
was  needing  another  application  of  the  razor,  and  no 
man  can  shave  his  own  head,  my  guide  was  dispatched 
to  procure  a  barber.  After  some  time  he  returned 
with  with  one,  who,  after  arranging  his  implements, 
approached  me  with  as  much  hesitation  and  evident 
misgiving  as  you  may  imagine  the  man  to  have  done 
the  lion  which  held  up  his  paw  to  have  the  thorn  ex- 
tracted. He  could  not  have  failed  to  discover  that 
whoever  else  I  might  be,  I  was  no  countryman  of  his. 
But  he  said  nothing.  Cautiously  and  silently  he 
performed  the  operation — was  paid  double  the  usual 


JOURNEY   TO   NAN-KING.  291 

price,  and  looked  as  if  he  was  particularly  glad  of  an 
opportunity  to  leave.  I  have  no  doubt  but  as  soon 
as  he  got  safely  out  of  that  boat  he  drew  several 
extra-long  inspirations  of  fresh  air,  by  way  of  self- 
indemnification  for  the  short  ones  to  which  he  had 
restricted  himself  while  shaving,  what  he  supposed 
to  be,  the  head  of  a  lunatic  !  For  such,  as  I  after- 
ward learned,  had  my  guide,  who  was  more  shrewd 
than  truthful,  represented  me  at  several  points  along 
the  route,  in  order  to  screen  me  from  such  familiar  ap- 
proaches as  might  result  in  my  detection  as  a  foreigner. 
When  he  told  me  this  after  our  return  to  Shanghai, 
it  explained  to  me  why,  on  several  other  occasions, 
the  natives  had  looked  at  me  very  inquiringly  and 
curiously,  but  had  kept  at  quite  a  respectful  distance. 
Leaving  Tan-yang  the  next  morning  at  daybreak, 
your  course  is  nearly  north  toward  the  next  city  on 
the  route — Chin-kiang-fu. 

The  face  of  the  country  now  becomes  quite  uneven 
and  hilly.  The  banks  of  the  canal  are  from  fifty  to  a 
hundred  feet  high,  and  the  soil  is  of  a  red  clayey 
character.  In  the  sides  of  the  banks  are  seen  nu- 
merous little  springs,  which  are  probably  strongly 
impregnated  with  iron,  as  you  will  infer  from  the 
discoloration  of  the  soil,  over  which  the  water  trickles ; 
for  the  quantity  from  any  one  spring  is  not  sufficient 
to  form  even  a  rill.  You  encounter  a  continuous  line 
of  grain-junks  extending  many  miles,  and  the  heavy 
measured  tramp  of  the  junkmen  on  their  decks,  as 
they  pole  their  clumsy  craft,  or  warp  them  along  by 
a  line  attached  to  the  windlass — accompanied  by 
singing,  somewhat  after  the  manner  of  sailors  on 
foreign  vessels — forms  the  music  by  which  your  ears 


292  FIVE  TEARS   IN   CHINA. 

are  regaled  all  day  long,  with  the  beating  of  a  gong 
occasionally,  as  an  interlude.  You  have  much  diffi- 
culty in  navigating  the  canal  along  here,  while  the 
junks  are  in  motion,  for  it  is  narrower  than  you  have 
before  seen  it,  and  the  water  seems  lower  than  usual. 
But  you  succeed  in  reaching  a  small  village  half  way 
from  Tan-yang  to  Chin-kiang-fu.  Here,  however, 
you  are  completely  blocked  up,  and  find  it  necessary 
to  send  your  guide  for  a  wheelbarrow  in  order  to 
proceed,  after  having  inquired  in  vain  for  horses  or 
sedans.  The  wheelbarrow  is  precisely  like  the  one 
before  described,  except  that  it  has  two  handles  in 
front,  as  well  as  behind,  so  that  one  man  pulls  while 
another  pushes.  With  a  part  of  your  Chinese  bed- 
ding for  a  cushion,  the  ride  is  not  so  uncomfortable 
as  one  would  suppose.  Among  others  riding  in  this 
manner,  we  met  a  well-dressed  man  sitting  astride 
on  the  top  of  a  large  load  on  his  barrow,  while  a 
woman  was  pulling  in  the  shafts  before,  and  a  man 
pushing  in  those  behind.  It  is  really  delightful  to 
breathe  the  fresh  air  of  heaven,  and  to  have  a  wide 
prospect  spread  out  on  every  side,  after  having  been 
confined  to  the  compass  of  eight  or  ten  feet  square  in 
a  native  boat,  with  your  view  limited  for  the  most 
part,  to  the  banks  of  the  canal,  for  five  days.  What 
a  gloriously  beautiful  country  !  The  hills  skirting  the 
Yang-tsz-kiang,  stretching  far  away  on  the  north- 
east, and  others  rising  abruptly  from  the  vast,  undu- 
lating plain  in  various  directions.  The  fields,  green 
with  the  spring  wheat  and  rye,  are  separated  from 
each  other  by  ridges  of  earth  three  or  four  feet  high 
and  about  the  same  width.  How  healthy  and  ruddy 
the  complexion  of  the  people — the  men  and  women 


J0UBNEY  TO   NAN-KING.  293 

working  in  the  fields,  and  the  children  playing  in  the 
dirt,  about  the  houses,  which  are  built  of  large  bricks 
set  up  edgewise  so  as  to  form  hollow  walls,  which 
thus  require  fewer  brick  in  their  construction.  The 
dwellings  have  a  dark,  gloomy  aspect,  not  being  plas- 
tered and  whitewashed  like  those  about  Shanghai, 
and  frequently  you  will  see  them  with  walls  built 
partly  of  rude,  brick-shaped  lumps  of  clay  merely 
dried  in  the  sun. 

Occasionally,  you  dismount  from  your  wheelbar- 
row to  allow  the  good  fellows  who  trundle  it  to  rest ; 
and  you  will  find  it  no  less  refreshing  to  yourself  to 
walk  a  few  rods ;  for  the  jolting  of  that  vehicle  is 
not  so  particularly  agreeable,  as  to  prevent  the  desire 
for  a  change  now  and  then.  Having  accomplished 
half  your  afternoon's  ride,  you  stop  at  a  tea-tavern 
and  content  yourself  with  a  cup  of  that  beverage, 
while  the  rest  of  your  party  take  the  same,  with  the 
addition  of  some  native  cakes,  which  they  devour 
with  as  keen  a  relish  as  you  also  might,  perhaps, 
could  you  but  persuade  yourself  they  were  clean. 
But  you  must  overcome  this  fastidiousness,  when  you 
travel  in  China,  or  you  will  starve.  On  you  trundle 
again,  over  the  pleasing  undulations  of  this  delightful 
region,  till  you  approach  the  nine-storied  pagoda  near 
Chin-kiang-fu — a  large  city  of  sad  celebrity,  as  hav- 
ing been  the  scene  of  the  most  sanguinary  conflict 
during  the  war  of  1841-2.  Your  path  here  is  quite 
winding,  and  leads  you  across  the  hills  forming  the 
southern  barrier  of  the  city.  Passing  through  the 
thronged  streets  of  a  long  and  thickly  peopled  su- 
burb, you  enter,  on  the  south  side,the  ponderous  gates, 
swinging  in  their  massive,  arched  gateways  of  finely- 


294:  FIVE   YEARS    IN    CHINA. 

hewn  granite,  which  are  about  forty  feet  high  by  fif- 
teen or  twenty  wide,  and  two  hundred  or  more  in 
length. 

Your  one-wheeled  carriage  rattles  along  over  the 
stone  pavement,  and  you  are  borne  through  the  prin- 
cipal street  into  the  heart  of  the  city,  for  a  mile  or 
two  northwTard,  when  you  turn  to  the  left,  and  after 
passing  over  about  the  same  distance  you  make  your 
egress  at  the  west  gate ;  and  then  traversing  another 
long,  busy  suburb,  finally  come  to  a  halt  at  a  native 
inn.  This  is  a  dark,  gloomy,  dirty  establishment, 
but  you  are  glad  of  a  resting-place  anywhere,  and 
your  appetite,  too,  has  so  fair  gained  the  victory  over 
your  squeamishnes,  that  you  make  a  hearty  supper  on 
a-la-mode  pork,  "  bean-curds,"  and  greens.  You  are 
sufficiently  fatigued,  also,  to  sleep  on  a  hard  pallet  of 
straw,  with  your  Chinese  quilt,  alias  you  wheelbar- 
row cushion — for  a  covering.  This  kind  of  fare  is, 
with  little  variation,  to  be  continued  for  the  remain- 
der of  your  journey. 

The  city  of  Chin-kiang-fu  is  beautifully  situated 
directly  on  the  south  bank  of  the  Yang-tsz-kiang, 
and  is  environed  by  hills  on  all  other  sides.  It  is  a 
place  of  much  trade,  but  the  general  features  of  the 
city  itself — the  streets,  shops,  dwellings,  temples,  etc., 
differ  but  little  from  those  of  Shanghai,  and  indeed 
of  every  other  Chinese  city  we  have  yet  seen.  The 
much  greater  size  of  the  gates  has  already  been  men- 
tioned, and  we  may  here  add,  that  they  also  are 
double,  but  the  two  are  in  a  direct  line  with  each 
other,  and  with  the  street,  instead  of  being  at  right 
angles,  as  at  Shanghai.  They  are  also  much  further 
apart — apparently  two  or  three  hundred  feet. 


JOURNEY  TO  NAN-KING.  295 

A  high  steep  hill,  ascended  by  a  flight  of  stone 
steps,  overhangs  the  city  on  the  west,  almost  like  a 
precipice,  and  you  have  the  closely  crowded  roofs 
spread  out  beneath  your  feet  far  below.  A  small 
temple  stands  on  the  top  of  the  hill,  and  the  view 
from  this  point  is  the  finest  we  have  so  far  met  with 
in  the  Celestial  Empire.  Looking  eastward,  you 
have  the  city  below,  with  a  beautiful  chain  of  hills 
encircling  it,  and  then  stretching  far  away  to  the  east, 
skirting  the  south  banks  of  the  Yang-tsz-kiang  till 
they  are  lost  in  the  distance.  On  your  right  toward 
the  south  is  an  extensive  scene,  diversified  with  hills, 
undulations,  and  plains;  dotted  with  clusters  of  cot- 
tages, and  chequered  with  fields  of  wheat,  rice,  cot- 
ton, and  vegetables,  giving  a  landscape  of  varied 
hues,  according  to  the  season  of  the  year.  To  the 
westward  you  see  a  mountainous  range  of  hills,  still 
south  of  the  river,  and  pointing  out  its  course.  Then 
turning  your  face  toward  the  north  you  will  have 
before  you  this  magnificent  river — "  Ocean's  child" — 
rolling  along  its  muddy  waters,  while  here  and  there 
rocks  and  islands  rise  from  its  turbid  bosom.  These 
islands  are  little  else  than  barren,  precipitous  rocks, 
having  sometimes  a  few  trees  and  some  shrubbery 
growing  from  the  crevices,  or  where  sufficient  soil 
may  have  become  deposited  to  afford  them  sustenance. 
There  is  one,  a  half-mile  northwest  from  the  city,  near 
the  south  bank  of  the  river,  with  which  it  is  con- 
nected at  low  water.  This  is  the  famous  Kin-shan 
("Golden  Island,")  celebrated  in  Chinese  writings 
throughout  the  empire.  It  is  but  a  few  hundred  yards 
in  circumference,  and  is  covered  with  temples  on  all 
sides.     A  seven-storied  pagoda,  together  with  three 


296  FIVE  YEARS   IN   CHINA. 

imperial  pavilions  going  to  decay,  crown  the  summit. 
Its  temples  are  like  those  seen  elsewhere,  and  indeed 
there  is  a  new  one  within  the  north  gate  at  Shanghai, 
the  Kwong-foh-sz — wich  is  a  facsimile  of  the  largest 
and  handsomest  one  on  the  Kin-shan,  and  being  new, 
is  the  more  beautiful  of  the  two.  There  are  several 
large,  polished,  marble  tablets,  in  various  parts  of  the 
premises,  with  inscriptions  cut  upon  them.  These 
are  shown  to  visitors  as  having  been  presented  to  the 
establishment  (for  it  is  a  Buddhist  monastery)  by  dif- 
ferent emperors,  Kanghi,  Kienlung,  and  others. 
There  is  also  said  to  be  a  famous  library  here,  but  we 
saw  nothing  of  it,  though  conducted  by  a  young 
priest,  whose  business  seemed  to  be  to  show  the  cu- 
riosities of  the  place  to  strangers,  and  for  which  he 
receives  a  fee  of  a  few  hundred  cash.  This  island  is 
equal  to  Niagara  for  fees  and  charges.  You  will  see 
scores  of  priests  in  long  yellow  robes,  going  in  single 
file  from  one  temple  to  another,  and  forming  them- 
selves into  platoons  with  military  precision,  and  pay- 
ing their  devotions  to  the  different  idols.  At  each 
shrine  you  are  solicited  for  "  incense  cash" — which,  of 
course,  you  decline  giving — to  purchase  sticks  of  in- 
cense, which  are  kept  constantly  burning  before  these 
deities. 

A  mile  or  two  lower  down  the  river,  still  on  the 
south  bank,  and  nearly  opposite  the  north  gate  of  the 
city,  which  is  a  half-mile  distant  from  the  water — are 
two  hills  crowned  with  temples  and  connected  to- 
gether by  a  high,  but  narrow  ridge,  only  three  feet 
wide  on  the  top,  affording  barely  sufficient  surface 
for  the  stone  pathway.  The  outermost  of  these  two 
hills  projects  a  little  into  the  river,  three  of  its  jagged 


JOURNEY  TO  NAN-KING.  297 

rocky  sides  being  nearly  perpendicular.  It  has  on 
its  top  a  very  pretty,  new,  quadrangular  pavilion, 
with  its  floor,  and  the  four  pillars  supporting  its  high, 
gracefully  curved  roof,  made  of  well-hewn  granite. 
A  few  rods  from  this,  on  the  same  hill,  is  a  nine- 
storied  pagoda,  some  forty  or  fifty  feet  in  height, 
built  entirely  of  cast  iron.  Each  octagonal  piece 
forming  the  walls  of  an  entire  story  is  a  single  cast- 
ing ;  so,  also,  are  the  eight-cornered,  slightly  concave 
plates  forming  the  roofs  of  the  several  stories.  The 
whole  of  this  curious  structure,  including  the  base 
and  the  spire,  was  cast  in  about  twenty  pieces.  Ori- 
ginally perpendicular,  it  now  has  an  inclination  of 
two  or  three  degrees  toward  the  south.  -  It  is  about 
eight  feet  in  diameter  at  the  base,  each  side  of  the 
octagon  being  nearly  three  feet ;  and  its  interior  is 
entirely  filled  up  with  brick  masonry,  so  that  it  is 
impossible  to  ascend  it.  It  is  evidently  of  great  an- 
tiquity, but  bore  no  inscription  from  which  its  age 
could  be  determined. 

This,  and  the  adjoining  hill  or  bluff,  were  the  points 
occupied  by  Major-General  Schoedde's  brigade  at  the 
battle  of  Chin-kiang-fu,  on  the  21st  of  July,  1842, 
and  just  opposite  is  the  point  at  which  he  escaladed 
the  northern  wall  of  the  city.  The  recent  repairs 
show  the  part  that  was  demolished  on  that  occasion. 
Looking  down  the  precipitous  sides  of  this  bluff  east- 
ward, a  pretty  plain  lies  spread  out  before  you,  and 
almost  directly  under  your  feet,  is  a  native  battery  of 
twenty -four  guns  immediately  on  the  bank  of  the  river. 

The  grand  canal  passes  through  the  western  su- 
burbs of  the  city,  and  enters  the  river  nearly  opposite 
Kin-shan. 

13* 


CHAPTER  XXIY. 

JOURNEY   TO   NAN-KING   CONTINUED. 

Another  Wheelbarrow  Ride — Clear  Water — A  Night's  Lodging — 
Summer  Palace  of  a  former  Emperor — Stone  Road — Modes  of 
Conveyance — Approach  to  Nan-king — Tomb  of  an  Emperor — An- 
cient City— Gates — Tartar  City — Streets — Ox-cart — Site  of  Impe- 
rial Palace — Public  Offices — The  celebrated  "Porcelain  Tower" — 
A  native  description  of  it — A  Donkey-ride — Face  of  Country — 
Terracing  Hills— Modes  of  Irrigation. 

We  took  passage  in  a  boat  for  Nan-king,  up  the  Yang- 
tsz-kiang,  but  being  detained  by  adverse  winds  for 
two  days,  with  no  prospect  of  a  change  in  our  favor, 
we  left  it  and  resolved  to  try  the  land  route.  Sent 
our  guide  to  hire  donkeys ;  but  being  unsuccessful  in 
his  attempt  to  procure  them,  we  dispatched  him  in 
search  of  a  wheelbarrow.  After  some  time  he  re- 
turned with  one,  and  we  set  out  for  the  second  time, 
with  this  mode  of  conveyance,  having  a  two  days' 
journey  of  fifty  or  sixty  English  miles  before  us. 

Our  route  lay  along  the  foot  of  the  range  of  hills, 
on  the  south  side  of  the  river,  which  was  a  mile  or 
two  distant  all  the  way,  and  most  of  the  time  out  of 
sight.  A  low,  level,  fertile  plain  occupied  the  inter- 
vening space,  which  is  overflowed  during  seasons  of 
very  high  water.  This  plain  on  the  right,  and  the 
high,  steep  hills  on  the  left,  form  a  contrast  that 
affords  an  agreeable  scenery  throughout  most  of  the 


JOURNEY   TO   NAN-KING.  299 

journey.     But  what  delights  you  most  of  all,  is  the 
occasional  sight  of  a  beautiful  stream  of  clear,  cool, 
spring-water,  running  down  the  ravines  among  the 
rocks,  and  with  your  hand  for  a  cup,  if  you  have  no 
better,  or  else  kneeling,  and  with  your  mouth  to  the 
limpid  current,  you  quaff  it  as  a  luxury  to  which 
you  have  been  for  years  a  stranger.     These  hills  are 
mostly  barren,   but  on   some   of  them  dwarf  pines 
grow,  which  are  collected  by  the  natives  in  this  vicin- 
ity for  firewood.     The  population  is  more  sparse  than 
we  have  before  met  with ;  still,  you  frequently  pass 
cottages  and  hamlets,  and  every  few  miles  a  small 
village  at  which  is  an  eating-house  and  a  tea-tavern ; 
and  here  your  wheelbarrow  men  stop   to  rest  and 
regale  themselves.     You,  yourself,  also  find  it  quite 
refreshing  to  take  a  cup  of  tea  whenever  you  come 
to  a  halt,  after  riding  under  a  scorching  sun  on  your 
open  carriage.     Having  accomplished  about  half  the 
journey,  you  stop  for  the  night  at  one  of  these  villa- 
ges.    The  inn  looks  anything  but  inviting,  and  your 
sleeping  apartment  still  less  so,  when,  after  passing 
through  sundry  dark  buildings  and  dirty  court-yards, 
you  find  yourself  quartered  in  the  darkest  and  gloom- 
iest stable  of  all,  on  a  ground  floor,  with  a  straw  mat 
for  your  bed,  cobwebs  for  curtains,  and  spiders,  cen- 
tipedes, et  cetera,  for  your  companions. 

After  a  not  very  comfortable  night's  lodging,  if  you 
are  so  disposed,  you  can  rise  at  daybreak,  and  pro- 
ceed upon  your  journey.  Yourself  and  guide  again 
mount  the  wheelbarrow,  which  is  not  provided  with 
handles  in  front,  like  one  formerly  described ;  but  a 
double  rope  is  attached  to  the  cross-piece  directly  in 
front   of  the   wheel,   and   one   of  your  barrow-men 


300  FIVE   YEARS    IN    CHINA. 

draws  by  this  thrown  over  his  shoulders,  while  his 
companion  propels  by  the  handles  from  behind.  The 
road  is  not  so  smooth  as  the  one  travelled  yesterday, 
and  your  native  guide  describes  the  jolting,  by  terms 
not  unlike  in  sound,  to  the  sensation  produced — 
hwung  lung  tuny,  hwung  lung  tung.  Nor  does  the 
path  follow  so  closely  the  course  of  the  river,  which 
seems  to  sweep  off  to  the  northward.  Leaving  it, 
therefore,  some"  twenty-five  miles  before  you  reach 
Nan-king,  your  road  crosses  hills  and  valleys  in  almost 
unbroken  succession,  during  the  remainder  of  the 
way. 

In  one  of  these  valleys  is  the  ruin  of  a  summer  pa- 
lace, built  by  the  emperor  Kien-lung.  It  consists  of  a 
number  of  one-story  buildings,  with  spacious  courts 
between,  and  flanked  by  smaller  buildings  on  the  sides. 
Enough  still  remains  to  show  that  the  workmanship 
was  of  the  most  elaborate  and  unique  character. 
One  would  easily  imagine  that  the  spot  may  once 
have  been  exceedingly  beautiful  under  cultivation, 
but  now  there  is  nothing  particularly  attractive  in  its 
appearance. 

The  same  emperor  had  a  road  constructed  of  hewn 
stone,  varying  from  four  to  six  feet  in  width,  from 
this  summer  palace  to  the  capital — a  distance  of 
about  twenty  miles.  But  it  is  now  in  such  bad  re- 
pair, that  it  is  far  inferior  to  the  ordinary  foot-paths. 
The  jolting  over  the  stones  is  so  uncomfortable  that 
you  are  glad  to  dismount  from  your  wheelbarrow 
and  walk,  most  of  the  time. 

Owing  to  the  uneven  surface  of  the  country  in  all 
this  region,  canals  are  impracticable,  and  the  trans- 
portation of  produce  and  merchandise  is  effected  by 


JOURNEY  TO   NAN-KING.  301 

means  of  horses,  mules  and  donkeys.  These  useful 
animals  are  constantly  met  with,  in  great  numbers, 
and  it  is  astonishing  to  see  the  immense  burdens  they 
are  made  to  bear.  The  large  proportion  of  those 
carrying  pairs  of  wooden  tubs,  like  panniers,  filled 
with  whisky,  will  convince  you  that  strong  drink  is 
as  marketable  an  article  here,  as  in  many  other  parts 
of  the  world.  Wheelbarrows  are  also  extensively 
used.  You  will  see  many  people  travelling  by  all 
these  modes  of  conveyance,  and  occasionally  in 
sedans.  "Women  riding  on  donkeys  sit  in  the  same 
position  as  men. 

While  yet  some  ten  miles  distant  from  Nan-king, 
you  get  a  view  of  the  far-famed  "  Porcelain  Tower," 
from  the  top  of  one  of  the  barren  hills  on  the  road, 
and  you  have  it  in  sight,  now  and  then,  till  you  reach 
the  city.  Villages  now  occur  at  shorter  intervals, 
the  population  is  greater,  and  more  business  activity 
is  manifest.  Monumental  tablets  and  gateways  are 
frequently  met  with,  spanning  the  streets.  The  paved 
pathway  now  widens  into  a  spacious  road  of  some 
fifty  feet,  for  a  mile  or  so,  up  to  the  Chau-yang-mun, 
one  of  the  gates  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  city. 
From  a  hill  over  which  this  road  passes,  you  will  see 
on  your  right  hand,  toward  the  north,  perhaps  a 
mile  distant,  a  wall,  inclosing  several  large  buildings 
resembling  temples.  This  is  the  spot  styled  in  books 
of  travellers  the  "  Tombs  of  the  Kings."  But  it  is, 
according  to  the  best  information  we  could  gather, 
the  mausoleum  of  only  one  emperor,  the  first  of  the 
Ming  dynasty,  Tai-tsu,  who  flourished  about  five 
hundred  years  ago.  A  semicircular  avenue  leads  to 
it,  winding  around  the  base  of  a  small  hill.     At  the 


302  FIVE   YEARS   IN    CHINA. 

further  end  of  this  avenue  a  pair  of  colossal,  stone 
elephants,  stand  facing  each  other  on  the  opposite 
sides.  Then,  as  you  proceed  toward  the  cemetery, 
there  are  other  figures  in  stone,  of  lions,  dogs,  horses, 
long- robed  gate-keepers,  and  Tartar  soldiers,  similarly 
placed,  in  successive  pairs,  and  at  regular  intervals. 
All  these  figures,  except  the  first  and  last  named, 
may  be  seen,  though  on  a  much  smaller  scale,  in  the 
vicinity  of  Shanghai.  The  wall  is  about  fourteen 
feet  high,  and  incloses  a  space  of  several  acres  in 
extent,  which  is  occupied  by  three  large  buildings, 
separated  by  spacious  courts,  three  or  four  hundred 
feet  square.  The  first  of  these  seems  to  have  been 
designed  as  the  hall  of  entrance;  the  second,  the 
grand  Imperial  hall,  in  the  centre  of  which  is  a 
square  apartment  of  light,  fanciful  wood- work,  which 
contains  the  tablet  of  the  deceased  emperor.  This 
building  is  two  hundred  feet  long  by  one  hundred  in 
width.  Its  roof,  which  is  of  yellow  glazed  tiles  on 
its  outer  surface,  and  of  very  minute  and  elaborate 
painting  on  the  inner,  is  supported  by  thirty-six  pol- 
ished, wooden  columns,  about  forty  feet  high,  near 
three  feet  in  diameter  at  the  base,  and  something  less 
at  the  top.  Each  of  these  pillars  is  a  single  stick  of 
hard  pine.  The  floor  is  of  polished  marble  tiles, 
about  two  feet  square,  which  reflect  the  light  admit- 
ted through  the  oyster  shell  windows  in  front.  The 
third  of  these  structures  is  merely  a  piece  of  masonry 
of  solid  limestone,  about  a  hundred  and  fifty  feet 
square.  It  stands  at  the  foot  of  a  hill,  on  which, 
immediately  in  the  rear,  are  three  large,  conical,  arti- 
ficial mounds.  In  one  of  these,  the  remains  of  the 
emperor  are  said  to  have  been  deposited.     The  ap- 


JOURNEY   TO   NAN-KING.  303 

proach  to  the  mounds  is  by  an  ascending  tunnel, 
finely  arched,  through  the  mason-work.  This  tunnel 
is  about  fifteen  feet  wide  by  twenty  high.  On  its 
sides,  incrustations  of  lime  have  been  deposited,  from 
the  water  trickling  through  the  crevices,  between  the 
blocks  of  limestone  of  which  it  is  built,  and  from 
its  roof  small  stalactites  have  formed.  This  pile  of 
masonry  is  ascended  by  means  of  stone  steps  in  the 
rear,  and  at  a  distance  of  perhaps  fifty  or  sixty  feet 
from  the  ground,  is  a  beautiful  terrace  covered  with 
grass,  from  which  arises  a  much  smaller  section  of  a 
stone  wall,  having  three  smaller  arches  passing 
through  it,  in  a  line  parallel  with  the  tunnel  under- 
neath, all  opening  toward  the  mounds  in  the  rear, 
and  the  great  imperial  hall  in  front.  These  edifices 
are  surrounded  by  triple  terraces,  paved  with  finely- 
hewn  stone,  each  bordered  by  an  elaborately  wrought 
stone  railing,  and  ascended  by  three  flights  of  steps. 
Taken  altogether,  this  mausoleum,  though  somewhat 
dilapidated,  has  an  air  of  magnificence  befitting  the 
burial-place  of  a  sovereign  of  so  vast  an  empire.  It 
is  called  Hwang-lin — "Imperial forest." 

The  present  city  of  Nan-king  is  surrounded  by  a 
wall  about  fifty  feet  high,  and  has  thirteen  gates.  It 
is  situated  within  the  space  formerly  occupied  by  the 
ancient  city,  which  had  eighteen  gates.  The  wall  of 
the  latter  may  still  be  traced  in  some  places,  though 
in  others,  not  a  vestige  of  it  remains.  It  is  far  with- 
out the  present  city,  and  the  intermediate  space, 
where  sufficiently  level,  is  occupied  by  fields  and 
vegetable  gardens.  The  more  hilly  portions  afford 
pasture  ground  for  horses,  mules,  donkeys,  cattle,  sheep 
and  goats. 


304  FIVE  YEARS   IN  CHINA. 

The  gates  of  the  modern  city  differ  somewhat  from 
each  other  in  their  dimensions.  Some  of  the  finest 
are  thirty  or  forty  feet  high  by  about  twenty  in 
width,  and  the  arched  gateways  are  a  hundred  or 
more  feet  in  length.  At  the  point  of  our  entrance 
there  were  four  of  these  gateways,  all  in  a  right  line, 
and  some  two  hundred  feet  apart.  The  ivy  had  crept 
up  the  walls  and  was  hanging  in  beautiful  festoons 
over  the  arches.  The  base  of  the  walls  at  these  gates 
was  of  marble,  originally  white,  but  now  of  a  dingy, 
light  yellow,  sculptured  in  bas-relief.  This  quadru- 
ple gate  is  the  Chau-yang-mun  and  leads  directly  into 
the  Tartar  portion  of  the  city.  Here  are  some  fine 
streets  nearly  forty  feet  wide,  having  a  space  in  the 
middle  of  about  eight  feet  in  width,  flagged  with 
well-hewn  blocks  of  blue  and  white  marble,  and  on 
each  side  of  this,  a  brick  pavement  of  some  fifteen 
feet  or  more.  You  will  here  see  two-wheeled  carts 
as  large  as  those  used  in  our  own  country,  and  very 
much  resembling  them  in  general  appearance,  but  of 
rude  workmanship,  heavy,  clumsy  wheels,  and  drawn 
by  a  single  ox  in  shafts.  They  are  sometimes  laden 
with  produce,  and  sometimes  with  women  and  child- 
ren, going  to  and  from  market. 

The  site  of  the  ancient  imperial  palace  is  pointed 
out  to  you,  but  scarce  a  vestige  of  it  remains,  and  the 
spot  is  occupied  by  the  ordinary  one  story,  dark,  dirty 
dwellings.  And  indeed,  apart  from  the  Porcelain 
Tower  and  the  mausoleum  of  Tai-tsu,  there  is  hardly 
a  building  of  any  kind,  be  it  temple,  shop,  or  dwell- 
ing that  has  not  its  equal  in  Canton,  Shanghai,  and 
probably  most  other  Chinese  cities.  Many  of  the 
streets  are  much  wider  than  those  at  Shanghai,  and 


JOURNEY  TO   NAN-KING.  305 

in  the  Mancliu  city,  where  there  is  little  or  no  busi- 
ness carried  on,  and  the  population  comparatively 
sparse — they  are  more  cleanly.  But  in  the  busy, 
thickly  inhabited  parts  of  the  city,  Nan-king  has  little 
to  boast  of,  on  the  score  of  cleanliness,  over  the  cities 
before  described. 

The  offices  of  public  functionaries  are  probably 
more  numerous  here,  than  in  any  other  city  this  side 
of  Peking.  They  may  be  known  by  the  two  high 
poles  with  a  square  wrooden  frame-work  near  the  top 
— by  the  wall  opposite  the  entrance,  with  the  figure 
of  a  huge  dragon  painted  on  it,  and  by  the  soldiers, 
police-runners,  and  other  loungers  about  the  gates. 

But  by  far  the  most  interesting  and  attractive  ob- 
ject in  Nan-king  is  the  famous  "  Porcelain  Tower,"  of 
world-wide  celebrity.  It  was  built  about  the  year 
1413,  by  Yiing-loh,  the  third  emperor  of  the  Ming 
dynasty.  Eepresentations  of  it  are  found  in  nearly 
all  the  school-geographies  of  civilized  nations;  and 
well  do  many  of  us  remember  the  school-boy  idea  we 
formed  of  its  milky  whiteness  associated  with  the 
term  porcelain  ;  while  in  reality  but  a  comparatively 
small  portion  of  it  is  white.  Green  is  the  predomi- 
nant color,  from  the  fact  that  the  curved  tiles  of  its 
projecting  roofs  are  all  of  this  color,  while  the  orna- 
mental wood-work  supporting  these  roofs,  is  of  the 
most  substantial  character,  in  the  peculiar  style  of 
Chinese  architecture,  curiously  wrought  and  richly 
painted  in  various  colors.  The  body  or  shaft  of  the 
edifice  is  built  of  large,  well-burnt  brick,  and  on  the 
exterior  surface  they  are  red,  yellow,  green,  and 
white.  The  bricks  and  tiles  are  of  very  fine  clay  and 
highly  glazed,  so  that  the  tower  presents  a  most  gay 


306  FIVE   YEAES   IN   CHINA. 

and  beautiful  appearance,  which  is  greatly  heightened 
when  seen  in  the  reflected  sunlight.  It  has  nine 
stories,  and  is  260  English  feet  high.  At  the  base,  it 
is  over  300  feet  in  circumference,  each  side  of  the 
octagon  being  about  forty  feet.  After  the  first  or 
ground  story,  all  the  others  are  quadrangular  on  the 
inside,  instead  of  conforming  to  the  octagonal  exte- 
rior. On  each  face  is  an  arched  opening  in  which 
one  can  stand,  and  look  out  upon  the  surrounding 
scenery  ;  but  a  wooden  grating  prevents  you  from 
stepping  out  upon  the  balconies  or  galleries,  which 
are  not  provided  with  balustrades.  The  inner  walls 
of  each  story  are  formed  of  black,  polished  tiles,  a 
foot  square,  on  each  of  which  an  image  of  Buddha  is 
molded  in  bas-relief  \  and  richly  gilt.  There  are,  on 
an  average,  more  than  two  hundred  of  these  images 
in  each  story,  giving,  in  all  an  aggregate  of  nearly 
two  thousand.  A  steep  staircase  on  one  side  of  each 
square  apartment,  leads  to  the  one  above,  and  by  this 
means  you  may  reach  the  top,  from  which  a  magnifi- 
cent panorama  is  seen  spread  out  before  you — the 
whole  city  of  Nan-king  toward  the  north,  but  as  it 
were,  at  your  feet — its  fine  amphitheatre  of  hills,  yet 
not  so  high  as  to  shut  out  a  prospect  beyond,  in  some 
directions,  as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach — then  three  or 
four  miles  distant,  northward,  you  see  the  noble 
Yang-tsz-kiang,  from  which  a  canal  leads  up  to  the 
city,  and  surrounds  it,  forming  the  moat. 

A  fine,  spacious  temple,  covered  with  yellow,  glazed 
tiles  and  filled  with  gilded  idols,  stands  at  the  foot 
of  this  Pagoda,  and  in  the  same  extensive  inclosure. 
Here  we  purchased  of  a  priest  a  native  cut,  repre- 
senting the  Tower,  and  containing  some  particulars 


JOURNEY  TO   NAN-KING.  307 

relative  to  its  history.  Of  a  portion  of  it  the  follow- 
ing is  a  translation,  which  I  prepared  with  the  aid  of 
my  teacher:  "The  emperor  Yung-loh  desiring  to 
reward  the  kindness  of  his  mother,  began,  in  the 
tenth  year  of  his  reign,  in  the  sixth  month  and  fif- 
teenth day,  at  mid-day  to  build  this  tower.  It  was 
completed  in  the  sixth  year  of  the  emperor  Sien-tuh, 
on  the  first  day  of  the  eighth  month,  having  occupied 
nineteen  years  in  its  erection.  The  order  of  the  em- 
peror to  one  of  his  ministers,  Wong-ti-tah  of  the  Board 
of  Public  Works,  was  to  build  a  tower  according  to 
a  draft  which  he  had  prepared  and  put  into  his  hands. 
It  was  to  be  nine  stories  high,  the  bricks  and  tiles  to 
be  glazed  and  of  the  '  five  colors' ;  and  it  was  to  be 
superior  to  all  others,  in  order  to  make  widely  known 
the  virtues  of  his  mother.  Its  height  was  to  be  30 
chang*  9  feet,  4  inches,  and  9  tenths  of  an  inch. 
The  ball  on  its  spire  to  be  of  yellow  brass  overlaid 
with  gold,  so  that  it  might  last  forever,  and  never 
grow  dim.  From  its  eight  hooks,  as  many  iron  chains 
extend  to  the  eight  corners  of  the  highest  roof ;  and 
from  each  chain,  nine  bells  are  suspended  at  equal 
distances  apart.  These,  together  with  eight  from  the 
corners  of  each  projecting  roof,  amounting  to  144 
bells.  On  the  outer  face  of  each  story  are  sixteen 
lanterns,  128  in  all,  which,  with  twelve  on  the  inside 
make  140.  It  requires  sixty-four  catties  of  oil  to  fill 
them.  Their  light  shines  through  'the  thirty-three 
heavens '  and  even  illuminates  the  hearts  of  all  men, 
good  and  bad,  eternally  removing  human  misery.    On 


*  A  chang  is  ten  feet,    Chinese    measure,    equal  to  nine    feet 
English. 


308  FIVE    YEARS   IN   CHINA 

the  top  of  the  highest  roof  are  two  brazen  vessels 
together  weighing  900  catties,  and  one  brazen  bowl 
besides,  weighing  450  catties.  The  grounds  belong- 
ing to  the  pagoda,  and  occupied  by  temples  and 
other  buildings  are  9  le  *  and  33  paces  in  circumfer- 
ence. Having  been  adorned  by  the  emperor  Yung- 
loh,  its  brilliancy  will  now  endure  to  hundreds  of 
generations — a  monument  of  recompensing  kindness 
to  myriads  of  years.  Therefore  it  is  named  Pau-gan- 
sz — '  Recompensing  Favor  Pagoda?  An  inscription 
on  a  tablet  within,  calls  it  *  The  First  Pagoda.'  Its 
cost  was  2,485,484  taels  of  silver.  Encircling  the 
spire  are  nine  iron  rings — the  largest  being  sixty-three 
feet  in  circumference,  and  the  smallest,  twenty-four 
feet — all  together  weighing  3,600  catties.  In  the 
bowl  on  the  top  are  deposited,  one  night-shining  pearl 
— one  water-averting  pearl — one  fire-averting  pearl — 
one  wind-averting  pearl — one  dust-averting  pearl — a 
lump  of  gold  weighing  forty  taels — a  picul  of  tea 
leaves — 1,000  taels  of  silver — one  carnelian  stone 
weighing  100  catties — one  precious  stone  gem — 1,000 
strings  of  '  cash '  bearing  the  stamp  of  the  emperor 
Yung-loh — two  pieces  of  yellow  satin,  and  four  copies 
of  Buddhist  classics. 

"  In  the  fifth  year  of  the  emperor  Kia-king  of  the 
present  dynasty,  on  the  fifth  month  and  fifteenth  day, 
at  daylight  in  the  morning,  the  god  of  thunder  drove 
poisonous  reptiles  to  this  pagoda  and  immediately  three 
sides  of  it  were  injured.  The  strength  of  the  god  of 
thunder  was  very  great,  but  Buddha's  resources  were 
infinite,  therefore  the  whole  edifice  was  not  destroyed. 
The  two  highest  mandarins  at  Nan-king  and  Su-chau, 

*  A  le  is  one  third  of  an  English  mile. 


JOUKNEY   TO   NAN-KING.  309 

the  Tsung-toh  and  Fu-tai,  thereupon  informed  the 
emperor  of  the  accident,  and  besought  him  to  have  it 
repaired.  So  in  the  seventh  year  of  his  reign  on  the 
second  month  and  sixth  day,  the  repairs  were  begun, 
and  were  finished  on  the  second  day  of  the  sixth 
month  in  the  same  year,  so  that  the  building  was  as 
perfect  as  when  new." 

Such  is  the  native  account  of  this  remarkable  edi- 
fice, and  when  on  turning  a  corner  of  one  of  the 
large  temples  in  the  spacious  inclosure,  we  came 
suddenly  in  view  of  the  whole  structure  at  once,  its 
beauty  and  grandeur  far  surpassed  our  most  glowing 
anticipations.  But  by  far  the  most  interesting  cir- 
cumstance associated  with  the  Porcelain  Tower,  is 
the  fact  that  it  is  a  monument  of  filial  affection — a 
magnificent  tribute  of  the  gratitude  of  a  son  for  his 
mother's  love. 

No  other  American  had  ever  visited  it,  nor  at  that 
time,  had  ever  seen  Nan-king.  If,  as  has  been  report- 
ed, it  has  been  destroyed  during  the  war  of  the  Re- 
bellion, the  world  has  sustained  a  loss  from  among  its 
specimens  of  wonderful  architecture  that  can  never 
be  supplied. 

On  leaving  my  boat  in  the  Imperial  canal,  where 
it  was  wedged  in  with  other  boats  and  junks,  I  had 
directed  the  boatmen  to  return  to  Tan-yang,  and  there 
await  our  return.  We  determined  on  a  different  and 
nearer  route  from  the  one  by  which  we  came,  and 
having  chartered  a  couple  of  donkeys,  set  out  over 
the  hills  that  environ  Nan-king,  leaving  the  Yang- 
tsz-kiang  and  Chin-kiang-fu  off  toward  the  north,  on 
our  left.  Our  donkey-driver  walked,  and  with  a 
heavy  whip,  belabored  alternately  the  animals  ridden 
by  my  guide  and  myself.     The  face  of  the  country 


310  FIVE   YEARS   IN   CHINA. 

was  elevated  and  undulating,  often  hilly,  but  nowhere 
low  and  level  like  that  about  Shanghai.  We  saw 
some  hills  terraced  for  cultivation.  The  water  was 
conveyed  up  from  one  plateau  to  another,  from  a 
pond  or  creek  below,  by  means  of  such  irrigating 
machines  as  are  used  at  Shanghai  for  transferring  the 
water  from  the  creeks  and  canals  to  the  fields  on 
their  banks.  They  are  on  the  principle  of  chain- 
pumps — the  square  pieces  of  wood  that  force  the 
water  before  them,  moving  about  a  foot  apart — along 
a  trough  some  ten  inches  square,  extending — at  what- 
ever angle  the  height  of  the  bank  may  require — from 
its  top  down  into  the  water.  It  may  be  worked  by 
an  ox,  with  an  arrangement  of  cog-wheels,  on  a  simi- 
lar plan  with  those  for  turning  a  cotton-gin  in  our 
Southern  States,  but  on  a  much  smaller  scale.  It  is 
also  often  worked  by  men  treading  a  foot-windlass, 
and  keeping  themselves  in  position  by  leaning  on  a 
horizontal  pole  which  is  placed  breast-high,  in  a 
forked  support  at  each  end  of  the  machine. 

Our  donkey-travel  occupied  two  days — the  inter- 
vening night  having  been  passed  at  a  lodging-place 
in  a  small  town  where  the  sleeping  apartment  might, 
with  far  more  propriety,  be  called  a  stable  than  a 
bed-room — the  earth  forming  its  floor,  and  the  only 
window  being  a  square  hole  in  a  rough,  stone  wall, 
with  two  or  three  wooden  bars  in  it.  A  kind  of  wide 
course  bench  with  a  little  straw  on  it  served  as  a  bed, 
on  which,  wrapped  in  my  Chinese  quilt  or  "  comfort," 
I  slept  sweetly  and  soundly. 

We  found  our  boat  at  Tau-yang  according  to  ap- 
pointment, and  entering  it  once  more,  returned  home 
for  the  remainder  of  the  journey,  by  the  route  over 
which  we  came. 


CHAPTEK  XXV. 

WHAT   THEY  THINK   OF   ECLIPSES   AND   EARTHQUAKES. 

Native  Astronomers — The  Popular  Theory — "  Sun-Eating" — Worship 
of  the  Monster — Noises  to  frighten  Him — An  Earthquake — Its 
Effects— Native  Theory — Ceremony  of  "Welcoming  the  Spring" 
— The  "  Spring  Ox" — Presiding  Deity  of  the  Year" — A  Procession 
— "Beating  the  Ox" — "Welcoming  the  God  of  Joy" — A  Female 
Deity — Worship— Military  Evolutions — Re  w  ar ds. 

The  11th  of  December,  1852,  at  Shanghai,  in 
China,  was  as  clear  and  bright  as  could  be  desired 
for  observing  an  eclipse.  So,  after  breakfast,  accom- 
panied by  my  recently  arrived  and  most  estimable 
colleague,  Rev.  W.  G.  E.  Cunnyngham,  and  two  other 
friends,  I  sallied  forth  into  the  city,  armed  with  frag- 
ments of  smoked  window-glass,  for  looking  at  this 
phenomenon.  We  knew  that  the  Chinese  had  been 
some  time  previously  notified  of  its  occurrence,  for 
there  is  an  astronomical  school  at  Peking,  where 
eclipses  are  calculated  with  great  certainty  and  a 
tolerable  degree  of  accuracy — the  native  mathemati- 
cians missing  the  exact  time  of  its  commencement 
and  termination  in  the  present  instance,  by  some  fif- 
teen or  twenty  minutes.  The  Chinese  are  indebted 
for  their  knowledge  of  astronomical  science  to  the 
Jesuits,  who  introduced  it,  together  with  some  other 
branches  of  useful  knowledge,  at  the  time  of  their 


312  FIVE   YEAES   IN   CHINA. 

first  entrance  into  this  empire,  over  two  hundred 
years  ago.  In  consequence  of  their  superiority  in 
these  respects,  about  that  time  they  succeeded  in  ac- 
quiring great  influence  with  the  emperor  and  his 
court  at  Peking.  But,  being  too  ambitious  of  power, 
they  lost  what  they  had  before  gained,  and  were  ban- 
ished from  the  empire  ;  while  the  Koman  Catholic  re- 
ligion was  proscribed  by  an  imperial  edict,  and  the 
subjects  of  this  "  Central  Kingdom,"  as  they  call 
their  country,  were  forbidden,  under  heavy  penalties, 
receiving  or  practising  its  tenets.  Though  driven 
away  themselves,  the  Jesuits  could  not  take  with  them 
the  learning  they  had  brought.  Some  of  this  has 
been  preserved  and  handed  down  by  a  succession  of 
native  scholars,  who  form  a  kind  of  scientific  college, 
and  compose  a  part  of  what  might  be  termed  the  as- 
tronomical bureau  at  Peking. 

Although  eclipses  are  calculated  and  published  at 
the  capital,  only  the  bare  fact  is  announced,  without 
any  explanation  of  the  cause  ;  so  that  the  universally 
received  theory  of  an  eclipse  throughout  the  empire 
is,  that  a  wild  sun  is  trying  to  devour  the  tame  or 
domestic  sun.  Some  say  a  huge  dragon  is  trying  to 
eat  the  sun  or  moon.  To  whatever  agent  they  may 
ascribe  the  act,  the  fact  that  the  entire  population, 
from  the  highest  to  the  lowest,  regard  it  as  one  of 
devouring,  is  evident  from  the  circumstance,  that  in 
all  books  and  proclamations,  it  is  called  "  sun-eating  " 
or  "  moon-eating."  Hence,  during  the  continuance 
of  an  eclipse,  there  is  kept  up  an  incessant  din  of 
gongs,  drums,  horns,  and  the  like ;  and  firing  of  can- 
non, matchlocks,  and  crackers  at  the  temples  and 
public  offices,  to  frighten  away  the  devourer.    Tables 


ECLIPSES    AND   EARTHQUAKES.  313 

or  shrines  are  also  placed  in  the  open  air  in  front  of 
the  temples,  public  offices  of  the  magistrates,  and 
before  the  doors  and  in  the  courtyards  of  private 
dwellings,  having  red  wax  candles  and  incense  sticks 
burning  on  them ;  while  at  the  temples,  the  idols  are 
brought  out  and  seated  with  their  faces  toward  the 
sun  and  opposite  the  shrines.  At  the  government 
offices,  the  mandarins  come  out,  and,  kneeling  down 
before  the  shrines,  bow  their  heads  to  the  earth  nine 
times,  worshipping  the  "eater"  and  praying  him  not 
to  devour  the  sun.  The  idols,  in  the  first-mentioned 
instance,  are  supposed  to  be  doing  the  same ;  and  in 
private  dwellings,  the  various  members  of  the  fami- 
lies prostrate  themselves,  and  worship  in  the  same 
manner  as  the  mandarins.  In  the  course  of  our  walk 
through  the  city  on  that  morning,  we  saw  a  little  girl 
teaching  an  infant,  that  could  scarcely  stand,  to  kneel 
and  bow  to  the  sun  before  a  table  on  which  the  red 
wax  candles  and  incense  sticks  were  burning.  When 
the  eclipse  is  passing  off,  the  people  universally 
ascribe  it  to  the  influence  of  their  noise  in  frighten- 
ing,  or  their  prayers  in  persuading,  the  intruder  to 
desist  from  eating  the  sun. 

The  eclipse,  on  that  occasion,  was  nearly  total  at 
Peking,  and  about  five-sixths  total  at  Shanghai.  The 
idea  of  looking  at  it  through  a  smoked  glass  seems 
never  to  have  entered  the  minds  of  the  Chinese,  and 
they  all  thought  it  a  most  wonderful  discovery. 
They  have,  however,  a  tolerable  substitute  for  it,  by 
so  placing  one  of  their  common  brass  wash-basins 
half  filled  with  water,  that  the  reflection  of  the  sun's 
disc  may  be  seen  in  it  quite  distinctly.  We  had 
crowds  about  us  wherever  we  went,  all  eager  to  look 

14 


314  FIVE   YEARS    IN    CHINA. 

through,  our  bits  of  glass,  and  praising,  as  we  were 
accustomed  to  hear  them  on  other  occasions,  the  su- 
perior ingenuity  of  foreigners.  At  the  office  of  the 
highest  dignitary  in  this  region  of  country,  one  of 
our  pieces  of  glass  was  carried  in  to  him,  through 
which  he  saw  that  the  "  eating"  had  commenced  even 
before  it  began  to  grow  dark,  and  his  excellency  im- 
mediately came  out  and  performed  his  prostrations, 
while  his  cannons  were  discharged,  and  his  various  in- 
struments of  noise  sent  forth  their  "  horrible  discord." 
I  explained  to  several  intelligent  Chinese  the  true 
cause  of  eclipses  in  such  a  manner,  that  they  seemed 
to  comprehend  it,  and  it  apparently  commended  itself 
to  their  reason,  so  that  they  admitted  at  once  the  ex- 
planation as  perfectly  rational  and  true.  Our  native 
preacher,  Liew,  repeated  it  in  his  sermon  the  next 
day,  which  was  Sunday,  to  a  large  and  attentive 
audience.  Full  explanations,  also,  with  diagrams  ac- 
companying, had  been  previously  printed  and  exten- 
sively circulated  by  the  Protestant  missionaries,  so 
that  there  is  little  doubt  but  that  the  true  theory  of 
eclipses  will  hereafter  be  better  understood  by  some, 
at  least,  of  the  people  in  that  part  of  China.  There 
was  also  an  eclipse  of  the  moon  on  the  night  of  the 
26th  of  the  same  month  (December),  just  fifteen  days 
later;  but  it  was  not  visible,  from  the  cloudiness  of 
the  sky,  though  readily  perceived  by  the  gradual  di- 
minishing and  then  increasing  again  of  the  light. 

Early  in  November,  in  consequence  of  the  long- 
continued  and  serious  illness  of  Mrs.  Jenkins,  my 
other  colleague,  Rev.  B.  Jenkins,  sailed  with  his  family 
for  the  United  States.  She,  however,  died  at  sea,  as 
mentioned  in  the  first  chapter. 


ECLIPSES    AND   EARTHQUAKES.  315 

On  the  night  of  December  16th,  at  about  eight 
o'clock,  while  standing  by  a  comfortable  fire  in  one 
of  the  rooms  of  my  house  in  Shanghai,  then  occupied 
by  my  colleague,  Rev.  W.  G.  E.  Cunnyngham  and 
his  wife,  we  observed  a  shaking  of  the  house  like 
that  caused  by  a  person  walking  heavily  across  the 
floor  of  an  adjoining  room,  but  with  no  sound  of  foot- 
steps. As  it  continued  and  increased  in  violence, 
rattling  the  doors  and  windows,  the  noise  became  like 
the  rumbling  of  many  enormous  wagons,  heavily 
laden,  and  crossing  an  immense  bridge  at  the  full 
speed  of  the  horses.  We  looked  at  each  other  in  con- 
sternation, and  Mr.  Cunnyngham  said,  "  An  earth- 
quake !"  a  fact  which  was  already  but  too  strongly 
impressed  on  my  own  mind.  The  motion  was  rapidly 
undulating,  so  as  to  cause  us  to  reel  in  attempting  to 
walk — quite  similar  to  that  of  a  ship  at  sea.  It  pro- 
duced, in  my  own  case,  a  nausea  precisely  like  sea- 
sickness, and  the  next  day  we  heard  of  several  per- 
sons who  were  similarly  affected.  We  ran  out  of  the 
house,  fearing  it  might  fall  upon  us,  and  the  motion 
continued  some  seconds  after  we  reached  the  ground. 
Its  duration  was  about  a  minute,  during  which  the 
whole  population  of  this  great  city  sent  forth  their 
voices  in  one  terrific  scream.  It  was  most  appalling 
to  listen  to  these  shrieks  of  terror,  mingled  as  they 
were,  with  the  howling  of  innumerable  dogs.  There 
were  many  fears  that  some  buildings  had  fallen,  but 
it  was  afterward  ascertained  that  there  were  no  such 
disasters,  except  in  the  case  of  a  few  very  old  and 
dilapidated  structures. 

The  motion  was  from  north  to  south,  and  many 
clocks  lacing  either  of  these  directions  were  stopped, 


316  FIVE   YEARS   IN    CHINA. 

while  those  facing  east  or  west  were  not  affected. 
Fragments  of  plastering  fell  in  some  instances,  and 
here  and  there  a  loose  tile  was  detached  from  the 
roof  of  our  house  and  dropped  upon  the  ceiling  over- 
head. Several  chimneys  on  American  or  European 
houses  fell,  crashing  roofs  and  ceiling  down  through 
into  bed-chambers.  A  brick  wall,  about  one  hundred 
feet  long,  seven  feet  high,  and  a  foot  and  a  half  in 
thickness,  forming  one  side  of  an  inclosure  around  a 
large  American  mercantile  establishment,  was  thrown 

down. 

"Water  standing  in  large  stone  jars  was  shaken 
over  the  top,  two  or  three  inches  above  its  level. 
Hanging  lamps  were  also  set  swinging,  and  continued 
to  swing  for  some  time  after  the  motion  of  the  earth 
ceased.°  This  was  supposed  by  some  to  have  been 
the  most  severe  shock  of  an  earthquake  experienced 
there  for  years,  though  others  say— and  intelligent 
foreigners  among  them— that  the  one  in  1845  was 
much  more  violent.  It  is  said  these  phenomena 
occur  in  this  part  of  China  two  or  three  times  every 
ten  years,  but  never  very  violent,  and  sometimes  so 
slight  as  to  be  scarcely  perceptible.  This  was  the 
character  of  one  that  was  felt  a  few  months  after  our 
arrival,  in  the  autumn  of  1848. 

Dr.  Macgowan,  of  Ningpo,  a' scientific  American 
missionary  there,  ascribed  them  to  electric  action, 
for  three  reasons.  First,  they  have  all  occurred,  so 
far  as  known,  during  long  droughts;  second,  during 
perfect  calms;  third,  during  a  highly  electrical  state 
of  the  atmosphere. 

But  let  us  come  to  the  Chinese  theory  of  earth- 
quakes.    They  say,  that  in  the  bowels  of  the  earth 


ECLirSES    AND    EARTHQUAKES.  317 

there  is  an  enormous  fish,  on  whose  head  the  goddess 
of  mercy,  Kwan-yin,  is  always  sitting,  and  that  so 
long  as  the  priests  in  any  part  of  the  empire  are 
knocking  on  a  kind  of  wooden  drum — which  is  said 
to  be  shaped  like  the  head  of  the  fish — so  long  he 
remains  perfectly  quiet ;  but  if  a  moment  of  interval 
occurs  in  which,  throughout  the  whole  country,  some 
one  is  not  tapping  on  one  of  these  drums,  in  that 
moment  the  fish  experiences  an  itching  sensation,  and 
instantly  begins  to  wriggle,  which  produces  the 
commotion  called  by  the  natives  te  doong — "  earth 
moving" — which  continues  till  the  priests  begin  to 
beat  their  drums  again.  This  is  supposed  to  act  on 
the  fish  as  a  soothing  ointment  to  an  itching  surface, 
and  such  another  drumming  as  then  began  is  not 
often  heard.  Another  sage  theory  is,  that  the  earth 
suddenly  takes  a  freak  to  slide  off  36.000  miles  into 
space,  and  the  rapidity  of  the  movement  causes  the 
"  earth  shake."  One  very  intelligent  Chinaman 
gravely  told  me,  that  on  that  occasion  the  earth  was 
shaken  from  its  customary  level  into  a  slightly  in- 
clined position,  and  that  on  the  following  night,  at 
precisely  the  same  hour,  it  would  shake  back  again 
to  its  original  horizontality  !  I  saw  him  on  the  day 
after,  and  asked  him  if  he  felt  the  rectifying  shake. 
'  No,'  he  replied,  '  but  it  certainly  did  take  place.' 

The  Chinese  divide  their  time  into  cycles  of  sixty 
years  each.  Every  one  of  these  years  has  a  particu- 
lar name,  and  the  name  of  each  year  is  also  applied 
to  some  one  month  of  that  year,  to  some  one  day  of 
that  month,  and  to  some  one  hour  of  that  day.  The 
people  say,  that  if  an  "  earth  shake  "  should  occur  at 
that  particular  hour,  of  that  day,  of  that  month,  of 


318  FIVE   YEARS   IN    CHINA. 

that  year,  the  earth  would  be  resolved  into  its  origi- 
nal chaos !  It  did  occur,  they  say,  on  niung-tsz  day, 
of  niung-tsz  month,  of  niung-tsz  year,  but  not  on 
niung-tsz  hour.  So,  thanks  to  that  big  fish,  the 
celestial  empire  has  not  yet  relapsed  into  a  chaos  of 
matter  corresponding  to  its  already  existing  chaos  of 
mind. 

The  seasons  do  not  begin  among  the  Chinese,  as 
with  us,  always  on  the  same  day  of  the  month,  nor 
even  on  the  same  month ;  the  spring  sometimes  be- 
ginning on  the  twelfth  month,  and  sometimes  on  the 
first,  of  the  year.  It  began  for  the  year  1853,  on  the 
twenty-sixth  day  of  the  twelfth  month,  which  was 
the  3d  of  February.  The  time  is  calculated  at 
Peking  and  published  abroad  throughout  the  empire. 
On  the  appointed  day,  five  of  the  civil  mandarins 
of  Shanghai — as  it  appertains  to  this  class  only,  the 
military  mandarins  taking  no  part  in  the  ceremony — 
went  forth  to  "  welcome  the  spring." 

A  very  rude  representation  of  an  ox  had  been 
made  of  paper,  pasted  over  a  frame-work  of  bamboo, 
about  five  feet  long  and  three  feet  high.  The  head, 
horns,  feet  and  tail,  were  of  black  paper ;  the  neck 
and  belly  were  of  blue ;  the  legs,  of  white,  and  the 
back  and  sides,  comprising  the  greater  part  of  the 
surface  of  the  body,  were  of  yellow.  These  colors 
are  arranged  from  year  to  year,  according  to  the 
directions  in  the  "Book  of  Ceremonies"  issued  at 
Peking.  This  paper  ox  is  regarded  as  prognosticat- 
ing the  character  of  the  coming  year,  by  the  relative 
quantity  of  each  color  employed  in  its  construction. 
The  amount  of  black  indicates  the  proportion  of  sick, 
ness   and    death.     That   of  blue,    of  wTinds ;  that   of 


ECLIPSES    AND    EARTHQUAKES.  319 

white,  of  rains  and  floods ;  that  of  red,  of  fire ;  of 
which  color  there  was  none  in  this  ox.  The  yellow 
denotes  the  products  of  the  earth,  and  as  this  color 
predominated,  the  people  expect  a  year  of  plenty. 

This  ox  was  made  at  the  premises  of  the  Che-hee?i, 
the  district  magistrate,  or  mayor,  of  Shanghai,  and 
thence  carried  by  two  coolies,  with  the  horizontal 
frame  on  which  it  stood,  to  the  "  Welcoming  spring 
temple  "  a  half  mile  south  of  the  city,  near  the  banks 
of  the  river  Hwang-pu. 

The  idol  called  Ta-sue — the  Great  year — which  is 
supposed  to  preside  over  the  year,  was  also  taken 
from  its  place  in  the  Ching-wong-miau — the  city 
guardian's  temple — and  carried  by  two  bearers  in  a 
small  common  sedan,  following  the  paper  ox  to 'the 
temple  above  mentioned.  This  idol  is  always  in  the 
form  of  a  small  boy,  said  to  be  the  deified  son  of  the 
emperor  Chau-sin,  who  flourished  about  2,000  years 
ago,  and  was  the  last  of  the  Shang  dynasty,  as  well 
as  one  of  the  most  infamous  and  cruel  in  the  annals 
of  Chinese  history.  The  image  of  Ta-sue  is  attired 
differently  each  year,  to  indicate  the  character  of  the 
year,  which  is  to  be  interpreted  just  the  opposite  of 
what  the  dress  seems  to  signify.  On  this  occasion, 
the  image  being  bareheaded,  it  is  inferred  that  there 
will  be  much  cold.  Wearing  a  white  robe,  which 
would  under  other  circumstances  augur  much  rain,  a 
diy  year  is  looked  for. 

This  idol  and  the  u spring  ox"  were  placed  side  by 
side,  under  a  roof  on  the  right  of  the  open  court 
within  the  entrance  of  the  temple.  A  blank  sheet  of 
yellow  paper,  about  three  feet  by  two,  pasted  on  an 
upright  frame,  at  the  left  hand  of  the  sedan  contain- 


\ 

320  FIVE   YEARS   IN   CHINA. 

ing  Ta-sue,  represented  the  reigning  emperor,  Hien- 
foong. 

About  noon,  a  procession  consisting  of  the  live 
civil  mandarins,  in  their  court  attire,  viz.,  the  super- 
intendent of  the  criminal  department,  the  superin- 
tendent of  the  rivers  and  canals  in  this  district,  the 
assistant  superintendent  of  the  department  of  taxes, 
the  literary  chancellor,  and  the  mayor  of  this  district 
with  their  trains  of  attendants,  came  through  the 
great  South  Gate  to  the  temple,  and  performed  the 
usual  prostrations  and  "knock  heads"  before  the 
image  of  Ta-sue,  standing  in  its  sedan,  and  before 
the  emperor's  representative — the  sheet  of  yellow 
paper — while  incense  sticks  and  red  wax  candles 
were  burning  before  both.  Preceding  the  mandarins 
in  the  procession,  were  first,  a  small  junk  decked 
with  flags,  and  borne  by  two  men.  This  was  de- 
signed to  represent  one  of  the  emperor's  tribute-grain 
junks.  Next  came  a  beggar,  dressed  like  a  manda- 
rin, following  on  foot.  He  is  called  the  "spring 
mandarin,"  and  personifies  an  officer  of  very  distin 
guished  rank,  who  bore  that  title  in  ancient  times. 
Then  several  coarsely  dressed  men,  as  tillers  of  the 
soil,  and  after  them  were  eight  fantastically  attired 
fellows,  much  resembling  with  their  painted  faces  the 
pictures  we  sometimes  see  of  clowns  or  king's  fools. 
These  sustained  the  dignified  characters  of  genii. 
Next  were  several  square  trays,  the  four  corners  of 
which  supported  small  frames  two  or  three  feet 
high,  and  from  these  were  suspended  miniature  sign 
boards,  bearing  the  names  of  the  various  trades  and 
handicrafts  in  the  empire.  These  were  called  the 
"  360  hongs."     When  the  ceremony  was  concluded, 


ECLIPSES    AND    EARTHQUAKES.  321 

the  actors  in  it  all  returned,  entering  the  city  by  the 
great  East  Gate,  the  idol  and  the  paper  ox  being 
carried  along  in  the  procession  through  the  streets. 

On  arriving  at  the  Che-heeri's  office,  the  ox  was 
beaten  with  sticks,  according  to  the  usual  custom,  by 
several  of  the  attendants.  The  paper  being  thus 
torn,  seeds  of  cotton,  rice,  beans,  wheat,  and  some 
other  kinds  of  grain,  having  been  beforehand  placed 
in  the  cavity  of  its  body,  fell  to  the  ground — the 
relative  abundance  of  the  crop  of  each  kind  being 
foretold  from  the  order  of  succession  in  which  they 
fell  out.  There  is,  also,  a  great  number  of  small, 
clay  figures  of  oxen,  in  the  same  cavity,  and  these 
are  taken  ont  or  picked  up — there  being  a  general 
scramble  for  them — by  whomsoever  of  the  attend- 
ants, or  bystanders,  may  be  able  to  get  near  enough 
to  seize  one. 

In  some  parts  of  China  the  "  spring  ox  "  is  made  of 
mud,  of  colossal  dimensions,  and  is  actually  wor- 
shipped by  the  mandarins  at  the  same  time  with  the 
other  objects  before  named.  These  ceremonies  are  per- 
formed, according  to  an  expression  in  one  of  the  Five 
Classics  "  to  send  away  the  cold  of  winter,  and  to 
welcome  the  warmth  of  spring." 

As  "  welcoming  the  spring "  is  a  ceremony  per- 
formed by  the  civil  mandarins  only,  so  "  welcoming 
the  god  of  joy" — He-shin — falls  within  the  province 
of  only  the  military  officers.  It  was  attended  to  with 
all  due  formality  on  Thursday,  the  17th  of  February, 
1853,  because  this  day,  being  the  10th  of  the  1st 
month,  was  found,  upon  reference  to  the  Book  of 
Ceremonies,  to  be  one  of  the  fortunate  days,  not  only 
for  observing  rites  of  this  kind,  but  also  for  marrying, 

14* 


322  FIVE   YEARS   IN    CHINA. 

beginning  to  build,  or  entering  upon  any  other  new 
undertaking. 

It  is  asserted  in  that  book  that  the  god  of  joy 
comes  from  certain  points  of  the  compass  on  certain 
days ;  but  if  any  of  these  days  happen  to  be  among 
those'named  as  unlucky,  the  mandarins  do  not  go  out 
to  meet  the  happy  divinity,  but  select  a  lucky  day, 
and  then  look  into  the  Book  of  Ceremonies,  to  ascer- 
tain from  what  quarter  the  "god  of  joy  "  will  come 
on  that  day.  The  day  above-mentioned  having  been 
fixed  upon,  it  wras  found,  upon  inspection,  that  this 
deity  would  be  met  with  toward  the  southeast. 
Consequently,  on  the  forenoon  of  this  day,  the  lieu- 
tenant-colonel, the  major,  and  eight  or  ten  captains 
and  lieutenants,  with  about  two  hundred  soldiers, 
marched  in  procession  from  the  residence  of  the  offi- 
cer first  named,  through  the  great  South  Gate  of  the 
city  to  the  parade-ground  beyond.  The  officers  wTere 
in  what  we  may  call  their  undress  uniform,  with  the 
exception  of  two,  who  wore  the  full  military  equip- 
ments, consisting  of  coats  of  mail  made  of  satin  cov- 
ered with  brass  nails,  and  unwieldy  helmets  of  poh 
ished  iron,  which  had  for  plumes  heavy  sticks  nearly 
two  feet  long,  with  a  little  plush  on  the  top  and  some 
red  horse-hair  about  the  middle. 

In  the  centre  of  the  parade-ground  was  a  tent, 
under  which  stood  a  table,  having  incense  sticks  and 
red  wax  candles  burning  on  it. 

On  arriving  at  the  spot,  the  soldiers  were  formed 
into  ranks  on  either  side,  while  the  lieutenant-colonel 
got  out  of  his  sedan,  and  all  the  other  officers  alighted 
from  their  ponies  and  walked  through  the  temple,  at 
one  end  of  the  ground,  into  a  room,  and  there  wor- 


ECLIPSES    AND   EARTHQUAKES.  32o 

shipped  the  picture  of  a  female  who  lived  in  ancient 
times  and  was  distinguished  for  her  bravery.  She  is 
said  to  have  sacrificed  her  own  life  in  rescuing  her 
father,  who  was  an  officer  of  high  grade,  and  with  his 
men  was  surrounded  and  about  to  be  captured  by  his 
enemies.  The  legend  says  she  was  killed  by  the  ex- 
plosion of  a  cannon  which  she  discharged  at  the  foe 
with  her  own  hands.  For  this  act  of  filial  devotion 
she  was  deified  with  the  title  of  Ke-tuh-shin — the 
"god  of  flags  and  banners." 

Having  duly  gone  through  with  the  customary 
acts  of  worship  before  this  image,  the  mandarins  all 
came  out,  and  walking  to  the  tent,  prostrated  them- 
selves and  worshipped  before  the  table  containing 
the  incense  sticks  and  candles.  This  was  designed  to 
honor  the  "god  of  joy,"  which  is  never  represented 
by  an  image  of  any  kind.  They  perform  these  acts  of 
adoration  to  secure  the  victory  for  themselves,  should 
the  necessity  for  fighting  arise  during  the  year. 

After  these  ceremonies,  the  officers  returned  to  the 
temple,  the  whole  front  of  which  is  open,  and  its 
floor  is  elevated  about  two  feet  above  the  surround- 
ing level.  There  the  lieutenant-colonel  sat  behind  a 
table,  while  the  other  officers  stood  on  his  left  to  wit- 
ness the  clumsy  evolutions  of  the  infantry  in  petti- 
coats discharging  their  matchlocks,  the  sham  valor  of 
the  swordsmen  in  single  combat,  and  the  dexterity  of 
the  archers  in  missing  a  target  as  large  as  a  cart- 
wheel, thirty  or  forty  yards  distant. 

Rewards  in  copper  coins,  tin  badges,  and  gaudily 
embroidered  tobacco  pouches,  were  then  distributed 
to  those  of  the  single  combatants  who  were  most 
supple  in  jumping  and  rolling  over  on  the  ground, 


324  FIVE   YEARS   IN   CHINA. 

and  to  the  most  skillful  of  the  archers.  These  pre- 
miums were  acknowledged  by  the  soldiers  being 
drawn  up  in  file  and  kneeling  before  the  lieutenant- 
colonel.  When  these  ridiculous  attempts  at  a  dis- 
play of  military  prowess  were  ended,  the  officers 
and  troops  returned  to  the  city  by  the  nearest  paths, 
being  prevented  by  a  fall  of  rain  from  entering  in 
procession,  the  great  East  Gate  and  marching  through 
the  streets,  according  to  the  original  programme. 


CHAPTER     XXVI. 

THE    GREAT    REBELLION. 

Place  of  Origin — Progress — Title  of  the  Leader— Strange  Doctrines 
— Knowledge  of  Old  Testament — Anxiety  of  Foreigners — Arrival 
of  Hon.  Humphrey  Marshall — Bayard  Taylor- — Attempt  of  the 
"  Susquehannah  " — Failure — Successful  Trip  of  the  "  Hermes  " 
— Sir  George  Bonham — Chin-kiang-fu — Grand  Canal — Grain  for 
Peking — Capt.  Fishbourne — An  Attack  from  the  Insurgents — Arri- 
val at  Nanking — Interview  with  the  Insurgents — Their  Books — A « 
Second  Attack — Fire  returned — Return  of  the  "Hermes" — Set  out 
myself — Trip  up  the  Yang-tsz-kiang — Appearance  of  the  Country 
— Foo-shan — Occurrences  at  a  Village — Our  Native  Assistant — 
Kiang-Yin — Pirates — Dead  bodies — Burnt  Junks  —  Running  a 
Blockade — "Silver  Island" — Its  Temples — Destruction  of  Idols  — 
Forlorn  Priests — Timidity  of  Boatmen — Return  to  Shanghai. 

The  foreign  residents  in  China  had,  for  several  years, 
been  aware  that  a  rebellion  existed  in  Kwang-si — the 
"  Western  Kwang  " — the  province  lying  west  from 
Kwang-tung,  or  Canton — the  "  Eastern  Kwang."  It 
however  attracted  but  little  attention  till  early  in  the 
year  1853,  when  we  were  astounded  by  the  intelli- 
gence that  the  insurgent  army  had  made  a  series  of 
rapid  and  triumphant  marches  northeastwardly,  and 
having  laid  siege  to  the  city  of  Nanking,  they  had 
carried  it  by  storm.  About  the  same  time,  copies  of 
proclamations  by  the  leader  of  the  movement,  who 
styled  himself  Tai-Ping-Wong — "  Great  Pacificating 
King" — reached  us  at  Shanghai,  and  surprised  us 


326  FIVE    YEARS    IN    CHINA. 

even  more  by  their  contents,  than  had  the  unparal- 
leled successes  and  victorious  progress  of  his  army. 
They  contained  accounts  of  the  Creation,  the  Deluge, 
the  captivity  of  the  Israelites  in  Egypt,  and  their 
delivery  under  Moses ;  then,  subsequently,  of  the 
incarnation  and  death  of  Jesus,  the  Son  of  God. 
Strong  denunciations  of  idolatry  then  followed,  and 
earnest  exhortations  to  the  people  to  abandon  it  and 
worship  the  "True  God,"  and,  at  the  same  time,  to 
throw  off  the  yoke  and  exterminate  the  race  of  the 
Tartar  usurpers,  who  had,  besides  other  grievous  acts 
of  oppression  that  were  enumerated,  compelled  the 
Chinese  to  submit  to  the  degrading  custom  of  shaving 
the  head  and  wearing  tails  like  monkies !  This  was 
to  be  abolished,  and  all  his  followers  wore  their 
hair  long,  and  confined  upon  the  top  of  the  head 
by  a  sort  of  turban.  Hence  they  were  designated 
in  the  imperialist  official  documents  "  long-haired 
rebels." 

There  was  no  intimation  of  their  disposition  or 
designs  toward  foreigners,  and  as  their  advances  had 
been  so  rapid  and  hitherto  irresistible  as  to  afford 
reasonable  ground  for  the  probability  that  the  gov- 
ernment would  soon  fall  into  their  hands,  it  was 
desirable  to  ascertain,  as  soon  as  possible,  how  they 
were  affected,  and  what  would  be  their  policy  toward 
us.  It  was  rumored  that  they  were  hostile,  and  in- 
tended to  drive  us  all  from  the  country.  This  opinion 
was  diligently  fostered  by  the  imperialist  officials 
at  Shanghai,  in  order  to  enlist  the  formidable  arm  of 
foreign  intervention  against  the  insurgents. 

The  United  States  steam  frigate  "  Susquehanna  " 
arrived  about  the  last  of  March,  bringing  our  newly- 


THE    GREAT    REBELLION.  327 

appointed  Commissioner  to  China,  the  Hon.  Hum- 
phrey Marshall,  and  that  prince  of  recent  travellers, 
Bayard  Taylor,  whose  acquaintance  I  formed,  and 
whom  I  accompanied  in  several  walks  in  and  about 
Shanghai,  pointing  out  to  him  some  of  the  various 
objects  of  curiosity  which  he  has  so  well  described 
in  one  of  his  volumes.  We  found  him  an  exceed- 
ingly agreeable  and  unassuming  gentleman,  but  no 
aspect  in  which  we  could  exhibit  the  Chinese,  seemed 
to  excite  in  him  the  least  pulse  of  that  pleasing  and 
enthusiastic  interest  which  no  other  people  on  earth 
had  failed  to  kindle  to  a  greater  or  less  degree. 

On  the  1st  of  April,  the  Susquehanna,  with  Col. 
Marshall  and  Bayard  Taylor  on  board,  attempted 
a  trip  up  the  Yang-tsz-kiang  to  Nan-king ;  but,  hav_ 
ing  no  pilots  who  were  sufficiently  acquainted  with 
that  river,  and  the  vessel  being  of  very  heavy  draught, 
she  ran  aground  several  times,  and  finally  returned, 
having  been  but  a  few  miles.  Some  days  later,  on 
the  22d,  Sir  George  Bonham,  the  Governor  of  Hong- 
Kong,  having  arrived,  they  proceeded  up  the  river  in 
the  light  British  war-steamer  "  Hermes  "  to  seek  an 
interview  with  the  insurgent  chiefs. 

In  the  meantime,  Chin-kiang-fu  had  fallen  be- 
fore the  victorious  troops  of  Tai-ping-wong.  This 
is  a  walled  city  of  great  strength  and  importance, 
situated  at  the  junction  of  the  Grand  Canal  with 
the  Yang-tsz.  It  is  the  gate  to  the  granary,  which 
supplies  not  only  Peking,  but  all  the  northern  part 
of  China.  Through  it,  thousands  of  enormous  grain- 
junks  have  hitherto  passed  annually,  laden  wifh  rice 
for  the  emperor,  his  numerous  household,  troops  and 
dependents  in  the  northern  provinces.     The  staple 


328  FIVE   YEARS   IN    CHINA. 

supply  for  the  capital  was  thus  cut  off.  The  only 
resource  left  the  Imperialists  was,  to  send  the  rice 
around  by  sea ;  but,  besides  being  insufficient  in 
quantity,  it  was  much  injured  by  salt-water,  and 
great  distress  at  Peking  was  the  result. 

When  the  Hermes  came  up  the  river  opposite  the 
walls  of  this  city,  the  insurgents  fired  into  her,  suppos- 
ing, as  they  had  been  informed,  that  the  "  Outer-coun- 
try Fire-wheel-ship  "  had  come  to  fight  against  them 
on  the  side  of  their  enemies.  The  admiral  in  com- 
mand of  the  imperialist  fleet,  taking  advantage  of  the 
presence  of  the  Hermes,  followed  on  close  in  her 
"  wake  "  and  opened  fire  upon  the  city.  This  gave 
additional  strength  to  the  impression  that  the  steamer 
was  actually  in  the  service  of  the  emperor. 

The  river  being  two  miles  wide  at  this  point,  and 
the  steamer  keeping  near  the  northern  bank,  was 
nearly  out  of  reach  of  their  cannon-shot,  and  passed 
on,  having  been  struck  several  times  but  not  seriously 
injured.  With  commendable  forbearance  her  pru- 
dent commander,  Capt.  Fishbourne,  did  not  return 
the  fire,  but  kept  on  his  way  to  Nan-king.  Here, 
too,  at  first,  a  battery  on  the  shore  opened  upon  the 
Hermes,  until  five  large  Chinese  characters,  which 
the  captain  had  now  taken  the  precaution  to  have 
inscribed  on  the  side  of  his  vessel,  signifying  "  we 
come  to  communicate,  not  to  fight"  were  read  by  the 
assailants,  when  they  desisted.  Some  of  their  petty 
officers  then  visited  the  steamer,  and  a  boat  containing 
the  interpreter,  and  several  officers,  was  sent  ashore. 
The  visit  was  returned  by  many  of  the  insurgents, 
who  disavowed  any  intention  to  interfere  with  foreign- 
ers in  this  warfare,  and  professed  for  them  a  friendly 


THE    GREAT   REBELLION.  329 

regard ;  but  would  not  allow  them  to  see  their  chief, 
Tai-ping-wong,  and  manifested  little  disposition  to 
conciliate — still  less  to  secure  foreign  aid  against  the 
imperialists — appearing  perfectly  satisfied  of  their 
ability  to  take  care  of  themselves  and  fight  their  own 
battles.  Capt.  Fishbonrne  informed  them  that  he 
had  been  fired  into  by  their  forces  in  Chin-kiang-fu. 
They  then  assured  him  that  they  would  immediately 
6end  word  to  the  general  in  command  of  the  division 
in  that  city,  and  that  the  act  should  not  be  repeated. 
They  also  presented  their  British  visitors  with  copies 
of  eight  different  pamphlets,  or  tracts,  among  which 
were  found  one  containing  the  first  twenty-seven 
chapters  of  the  book  of  Genesis,  from  Dr.  GutzlafT's 
version  ;  another  containing  the  Ten  Commandments, 
with  a  very  sensibly  written  commentary  on  each, 
and  including  opium-smoking  as  prohibited  in  the 
seventh ;  a  third  contained  forms  of  prayer  and 
nymns  for  morning  and  evening  worship,  and  for 
other  occasions.  But  contrary  to  their  promise,  the 
steamer  on  her  return  trip,  a  few  days  after,  was 
again  fired  upon  when  passing  Chin-kiang-fu.  This 
being  so  manifest  a  violation  of  good  faith,  Capt. 
Fishbourne  felt  called  upon  to  respond  after  the  same 
manner ;  accordingly  he  discharged  fifty-three  rounds 
of  shell  into  the  city.  Those  books,  among  others 
brought  by  the  Hermes,  on  her  return,  which  was  on 
the  2d  of  May,  filled  the  missionaries,  especially,  with 
great  joy.  But  it  was  evident,  that  although  these 
revolutionists  had  isolated  fragments  of  the  New 
Testament  doctrines,  yet  they  had  none  of  its  books 
entire.  And  as  it  then  seemed  highly  probable  that 
they  would  soon  become  masters  of  the  empire,  it 


330  FIVE   YEARS    IN    CHINA. 

was  exceedingly  desirable  that  they  should  have  the 
New  Testament  especially,  from  which  to  learn  the 
doctrines  of  a  pure  and  perfect  Christianity.  Then 
the  question  arose,  How  were  they  to  obtain  them  ? 
Here  was  a  difficulty,  for  they  were  closely  besieged 
on  land  and  blockaded  on  the  river  by  the  numerous 
forces  of  the  imperialists,  cutting  off  all  communica- 
tion with  them  from  without.  I  determined,  how- 
ever, to  make  the  attempt  to  reach  them  ;  so  hiring  a 
native  covered  boat,  for  which  an  exorbitant  price 
was  required,  because  of  the  perilous  character  of  the 
enterprise,  taking  a  carpet-bag  and  another  coarse 
bag,  both  filled  with  copies  of  the  Gospels,  and  other 
tracts,  together  with  a  spy-glass,  and  a  carnal  weapon 
in  the  shape  of  an  old  United  States  musket,  with 
which  to  frighten  the  river-pirates,  I  embarked  on  the 
second  day  of  June,  on  the  Hwang-pu,  and  with  a 
favorable  wind  and  tide,  soon  reached  Woo-sung, 
where  we  passed  near  the  United  States  sloop-of-war 
"  Plymouth,"  which  was  on  her  way  to  join  the 
squadron  for  Japan.  There  were  many  imperialist 
war-junks  at  anchor,  but  our  unpretending  little  craft 
attracted  no  attention  from  those  on  board,  for  they 
little  imagined  either  the  contents  or  its  destination  ; 
so  we  sailed  close  along  under  their  guns,  and  soon 
were  out  on  the  broad  and  muddy  bosom  of  the 
"  Child  of  the  Ocean,"  the  great  river  Yang-tsz. 

Some  sixty  miles  from  its  mouth  is  an  island,  called 
Tsung-Ming,  forming  its  delta.  This  is  directly  op- 
posite the  village  of  Woo-Sung,  from  which  it  is 
scarcely  visible,  being  very  low  and  flat,  and  some 
fifteen  or  twenty  miles  distant.  After  passing  this 
island  on  your  westward  course,  you  seem  to  be  at 


THE    GREAT    REBELLION.  331 

sea,  for  as  your  little  boat  keeps  near  the  southern 
shore,  the  one  opposite  is  not  in  sight  till  you  have 
advanced,  perhaps  thirty  miles  on  your  journey. 
The  country  on  both  sides  of  this  river  is  perfectly 
level,  and  of  amazing  fertility,  for  more  than  a  hun- 
dred miles  from  its  mouth.  Then  you  will  see  a 
small  cluster  of  hills  on  the  north,  several  miles 
inland.  They  are  called  Long-Shan,  and  the  highest 
of  them  is  surmounted  by  a  pagoda.  Nearly  opposite 
these  hills,  on  the  south  bank,  is  the  little  walled 
town  of  Foo-Shan,  which  is  so  called  from  a  very 
diminutive  hill  of  that  name,  near  which  it  stands. 
Shan  is  the  Chinese  for  hill  or  mountain.  A  most 
luxuriant  growth  of  vegetation,  of  small  trees  and 
bamboo  groves,  skirts  the  river  on  both  sides,  and 
extends  many  miles  into  the  interior.  When  it  is 
remembered  that  I  am  writing  of  China,  it  is  scarcely 
necessary  to  say  all  these  lands  are  under  the  highest 
possible  state  of  cultivation.  Their  fertility  must  be 
absolutely  inexhaustible,  or  two  thousand  years  of 
tillage  would  have  produced  some  signs  of  wearing 
out.  All  along  may  be  seen  regularly  laid-out  fields 
and  vegetable  gardens,  while  numerous  cottages — 
some  of  brick  and  some  of  mud  and  straw,  some 
covered  with  tiles  and  some  with  thatch — diversify 
the  scene.  It  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  this  was 
not  my  first  attempt  to  visit  the  insurgents.  On  the 
former  occasion,  three  weeks  before,  I  was  accompa- 
nied by  our  native  assistant,  Lieu-seen-sang,  and  we 
spent  our  second  night  at  this  town.  Our  third  was 
at  the  mouth  of  a  creek,  at  a  village  called  Siau-sing- 
kiang,  only  twenty  miles  from  Foo-Shan,  but  on  the 
north  side  of  the  river.     Here — as  we  arrived  before 


332  FIVE   YEARS   IN   CHINA. 

sunset,  not  being  able  to  reach  the  next  stopping- 
place  before  dark,  and  it  is  unsafe  to  be  on  the  river 
at  night  on  account  of  pirates — the  banks  were  soon 
filled  with  natives  crowding  one  another  and  strain- 
ing their  eyes  to  see  what  they  had  never  before  seen 
— an  "  outer-country  man."  We  wrent  on  shore  and 
walked  through  the  village,  followed  by  multitudes 
of  men,  women  and  children,  staring  with  eager 
curiosity,  for  I  was  dressed  in  the  costume  of  my  na- 
tive land.  After  a  while  we  came  to  a  bank  about  six 
feet  high,  and  selecting  it  for  a  pulpit,  Lieu  ascended, 
and  preached  in  mandarin,  which  they  understood. 
They  listened  wTith  the  most  absorbing  interest,  and 
not  an  individual  seemed  to  move — scarcely  to 
breathe.  It  looked  like  a  mass  of  upturned  human 
faces  that  had  become  petrified  at  a  moment  of  in- 
tensely earnest  gaze.  Darkness  came  on,  and  yet 
they  stood  as  if  nailed  to  the  spot.  Lieu  ceased,  and 
then  they  clamored  so  vehemently  for  the  foreigner 
to  preach  also,  that  I  addressed  them  in  the  Shanghai 
dialect,  with  Lieu  for  an  interpreter.  He  then  prayed, 
and  upon  their  urgent  invitation  we  accompanied 
them  to  a  neighboring  tea-tavern  and  took  some 
refreshment — the  throng  still  pressing  us  and  asking 
questions.  One  of  the  company  said  he  had  a  book 
containing  the  doctrines  we  had  preached.  At  my 
request  he  ran  to  his  house  and  soon  returning,  pro- 
duced a  Christian  tract,  which  he  said  had  been  given 
him  at  Ningpo,  whither  he  had  been  some  months 
before.  We  returned  to  our  boats  laden  with  their 
thanks,  and  at  daybreak  the  next  morning  resumed 
our  voyage.  Beyond  Foo-Shan  some  twenty  miles,  the 
country  on  the  south  side  of  the  river  is  broken  by 


THE   GREAT   REBELLION.  333 

ranges  of  hills,  which  extend  with  little  intermission 
to  Nan-king,  and  probably  beyond.  But  the  northern 
shore  continues  level  through  all  this  distance.  The 
river  varies  in  width  from  one  to  five  miles.  It  has 
many  islands  and  shoals,  which  render  its  navigation 
difficult,  especially  as  the  channel  is  constantly  chang- 
ing. Native  vessels  of  every  description,  from  the  skiff 
of  the  fisherman  to  the  clumsy  war-junk,  are  always 
plying  on  its  waters.  Forty  miles  from  Foo-Shan  you 
find,  on  the  south  bank,  the  walled  city  Kiang-  Yin,  a 
quiet  place  of  some  importance,  very  prettily  situated 
at  the  foot  of  a  range  of  hills.  Here  we  had  passed 
our  fourth  night  on  the  former  trip,  in  company  with 
many  other  boats,  which  had  hauled  up  at  this  city, 
for  the  purpose  of  mutual  security  against  any  attack 
of  pirates  during  the  night.  We  had  made  but 
twenty  miles  that  day  also,  in  consequence  of  the 
light  winds  and  calms,  and  the  time  had  been  occu- 
pied in  reading  Chinese  with  my  companion.  Just 
without  the  city  walls  is  a  dilapidated  pagoda,  seven 
stories  high,  and  on  an  adjacent  hill  is  a  Buddhist 
temple. 

On  the  following  morning  we  set  out  with  a  fair 
wind,  but  it  died  away  about  noon,  leaving  us  to  our 
oars.  Night  came  on  before  we  could  reach  the  next 
mooring  station,  and  it  was  not  long  before  a  suspi- 
cious looking  craft  that  had  been  hovering  about  us 
during  the  day,  began  to  approach  near  enough  to 
convince  me  that  he  was  a  pirate.  A  discharge 
from  my  rusty  old  flint-lock,  '76,  together  with  the 
unmistakable  report  of  foreign  fire-arms,  satisfied  him 
that  he  was  pursuing  something  unusual,  so  he  put 
down  his  helm  and  turned  off  in  another  direction. 


33i  FIVE   YEARS    IN    CHINA. 

During  that  day  we  advanced  thirty  miles,  having 
seen  four  dead  bodies  floating  down  the  river,  and 
heard  heavy  cannonading. 

On  the  day  following,  we  saw  three  more  bodies  of 
dead  men  and  met  many  wrecks  of  burnt  junks,  which 
the  people  living  along  the  river,  were  securing, 
wherever  it  was  possible,  and  hauling  up  on  shore  for 
firewood.  It  was  quite  a  harvest  to  them.  I  after- 
ward learned  that  the  insurgents  had  set  on  fire  a 
number  of  these  junks  and  rafts,  laden  with  various 
combustibles,  and  then  had  set  them  floating  down 
the  river,  in  order  to  burn  the  imperialist  fleet,  which 
they  came  very  near  accomplishing.  It  was  only  by 
slipping  their  cables  and  floating  down  before  them 
that  the  latter  escaped.  "We  also  saw  the  mutilated 
trunk  of  a  large  gilt  idol  lying  on  the  shore.  We 
had  passed  a  high  promontory  on  the  south  side  of 
the  river,  which  swept  around  its  base  in  a  long 
curve  and  with  great  swiftness.  Its  summit  was 
crowned  with  a  temple  and  a  pagoda.  Sunset  found 
us  in  sight  of  the  imperialist  fleet ;  but  the  wind  had 
ceased  and  we  anchored  for  the  night,  as  we  sup- 
posed, a  short  distance  from  the  northern  shore.  We 
had  taken  our  supper  of  boiled  rice  and  greens  with 
our  chopsticks  as  usual,  and  composed  ourselves  to 
rest  upon  the  broad  plank  seats  of  our  boat.  About 
nine  o'clock,  however,  I  discovered  that  the  wind  had 
sprung  up  from  the  east,  fresh  and  favorable.  There- 
upon, I  roused  my  reluctant  boatmen,  made  them  pull 
up  the  anchor  and  hoist  the  sail.  A  few  minutes  brought 
us  within  hailing  distance  of  one  of  the  war-junks, 
then  another,  and  another,  and  another ;  for  we  were 
soon  in  the  midst  of  the  fleet.     It  was  too  dark  for 


THE    GREAT    REBELLION.  335 

them  to  see  us  ;  but  the  splashing  of  our  little  boat 
as  she  dashed  on  through  the  water  attracted  their 
attention.  We  were  hailed  several  times  and 
threatened  with  being  fired  upon.  I  had  enjoined 
perfect  silence,  but  my  boatmen,  who  were  very 
much  alarmed,  wished  to  comply  with  the  command 
to  "  come  to,"  and  go  up  alongside.  I,  however, 
positively  forbade  it,  and  said,  "  let  them  fire — they 
are  poor  marksmen  at  best,  for  it  is  seldom  they 
can  hit  an  object  they  can  see  in  the  daytime,  and  it 
is  not  likely  they  can  hit  us  in  this  dark  night."  So 
with  threats,  promises  and  encouragements  I  prevailed 
with  my  men,  and  we  finally,  having  thus  run  the 
gauntlet  for  two  miles,  left  the  fleet  behind  us,  and 
then  anchored  a  second  time  for  the  night,  near  the 
shore,  at  a  point  where  it  was  overhung  with  a 
thicket  of  willows.  I  knew  it  would  not  do  for  us  to 
be  found  there,  so  before  daylight  I  wakened  my 
companions,  and  we  were  proceeding  as  quietly  and 
cautiously  as  possible,  when  wre  discovered  there  were 
yet  two  or  three  Portuguese  lorchas  to  be  passed. 
These  are  vessels  resembling  schooners,  and  there 
were  twenty-four  in  this  fleet,  hired  by  the  imperi- 
alists. In  the  dim  grey  light  of  breaking  dawn  I  saw 
their  armed  sentinels  pacing  their  decks  to  and  fro  ; 
but  we  were  not  observed  by  them,  and  in  an  hour 
more  we  were  on  the  landing-steps  of  well-hewn 
granite,  at  a  most  beautiful  island  named  Kiau-Shan, 
but  called  by  foreigners  "-Silver  Island,"  because  it 
seems  to  be  a  twin  with  "  Golden  Island,"  which  is 
but  three  miles  further  up  the  river,  and  was  described 
in  a  former  chapter,  as  I  had  visited  it  a  year  before. 
Here  we  were  met  by  several  forlorn-looking  priests s 


336  FIVE   YEARS    IN    CHINA. 

who  approached  us  at  first  with  great  timidity ;  but 
on  being  addressed  in  their  own  language,  and 
assured  that  we  would  do  them  no  harm,  their  fears 
were  gradually  overcome,  and  they  accompanied  us 
in  our  survey  of  the  beauties  and  ruins  of  the  place. 

Silver  Island  is  a  hill  rising  from  the  bed  of  the 
river,  covered  with  a  rank  growth  of  trees  and  shrub- 
bery, and  overlooks  the  city  of  Chin-kiang-fu,  which 
is  only  two  miles  distant.  There  are  many  temples 
on  this  island,  some  of  them  exceedingly  beautiful 
and  costly,  but  the  insurgents  have  utterly  demolished 
every  idol.  So  gratifying  a  scene  of  devastation  I 
certainly  never  before  beheld.  The  priests  told  us 
that  the  "long-haired  men"  had  been  there  and  had 
destroyed  their  idols,  telling  them  of  a  being  whom 
they  called  the  "True  God,"  who  created  all  things, 
and  that  they  should  worship  Him  only.  Here  were 
gilded  and  painted  fragments  of  images  strewn  about 
in  every  direction,  while  the  wood,  clay  and  straw  of 
which  the  larger  idols  had  been  made,  covered  the 
floors  to  the  depth  of  one  or  two  feet.  The  altars 
and  tables,  incense  vases  and  candlesticks,  Buddhist 
books,  and  all  the  paraphernalia  of  idolatrous  wor- 
ship, were  broken,  torn,  and  scattered  here  and  there 
in  irrecoverable  ruin  ;  and  this,  too,  by  the  very  ones 
who,  not  three  years  ago,  were  willing  votaries  at 
just  such  shrines.  The  images  of  stone  were  thrown 
down  from  their  pedestals  and  had  their  heads 
knocked  off.  But  I  found  one,  about  two  feet  high, 
in  a  sitting  posture,  richly  gilt  and  very  heavy,  wThose 
head  had  successfully  resisted  the  hammers  of  the 
iconoclasts.  It  was  lying  with  its  face  on  the  earth, 
and  the  enraged  expression  of  its  features  seemed  to 


THE    GREAT   REBELLION.  337 

show  a  strong  resentment  at  the  indignity  thus  cast 
upon  it.  By  the  help  of  two  of  my  boatmen,  with  a 
pole  and  rope,  I  brought  away  this  chap,  and  he  now 
sits  in  sullen  silence  near  me,  while  I  relate  the  story 
of  his  wrongs.  I  also  brought  away  many  pieces  of 
wooden  gilded  idols—heads,  hands,  feet,  thumbs, 
fingers,  and  the  like.  This  was  by  the  cheerful  per- 
mission of  the  twelve  or  fifteen  priests,  who  were  all 
that  remained  on  the  island  out  of  a  hundred — the 
majority  having  fled  in  their  boats  to  the  main  land, 
on  the  approach  of  the  insurgents.  To  these  poor, 
forlorn  bonzes  I  gave  many  books  and  tracts,  besides 
a  small  sum  of  money,  for  they  seemed  quite  desti- 
tute— and  with  the  aid  of  Lieu,  the  Christian  native 
whom  I  had  brought  with  me,  exhorted  them  not  to 
grieve  over  the  destruction  of  these  senseless  blocks, 
and  showed  unto  them  "  a  more  excellent  way."  We 
had  assembled  them  in  an  apartment  of  one  of  the 
temples  for  this  purpose,  and  it  was  most  interesting 
to  observe  the  attention  with  which  they  seemed  to 
drink  in  the  good  news  of  salvation  through  Jesus 
Christ  No  time,  place,  or  circumstance,  could  have 
been  more  opportune  for  the  exhibition  of  Christian 
truth.  For  just  as  all  their  sandy  foundations  had 
been  swept  away,  and  the  strongest  possible  evidence 
of  the  utter  inability  of  their  idols  to  save  or  help 
even  themselves,  lay  spread  around,  we  pointed  them 
to  a  Hock  on  which  they  might  build  and  be  eternally 
secure.  These  tidings  came  to  them  as  a  life-boat  to 
a  wreck.  Here  were  the  miserable  fragments  of 
their  shattered  craft,  to  which  they  were  clinging 
with  all  the  forlornness  of  despair.  But  their  faces 
lightened  with  hope  when  the  good,  staunch  ship  of 

15 


338  FIVE   YEAES   IN   CHINA. 

Christianity  hove  in  sight,  and  sent  a  boat  to  save 
them. 

I  then  desired  my  boatman  to  cross  over  to  the  south- 
ern shore,  and  proceed  along  up  to  Chin-kiang-fu. 
But  having  seen  the  smoking  ruins  of  the  buildings 
outside  the  walls,  which  the  insurgents  had  burned 
lest  the  imperialist  army  should  find  shelter  among 
them  in  their  assaults  upon  the  city ;  and  seeing, 
also,  from  the  summit  of  the  hill  on  Silver  Island 
the  warlike  display  of  flags  and  banners  flying  on  the 
walls  and  fortifications,  they  positively  refused  to  go 
any  nearer,  and  I  was  compelled  to  allow  them  to 
return  to  Shanghai. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

SECOND   TRIP   TO   THE   INSURGENT   CAMP. 

New  Boatmen — Run  the  Blockade  again — Refusal  of  Boatmen  to 
Proceed — Going  Alone  on  Foot — A  M  Levee  "  on  the  River-bank — 
A  Foot-path — Approach  to  Fortifications — Difficult  Progress — Ob- 
structions— Entering  the  Fortress — A  Strange  Visitor — Appear- 
ance of  the  Insurgents — Motley  Crowds — Arms  and  Defences — 
Condition  of  Chin-kiang-fu  —  Strange  Sounds  —  General  Lo — 
Awkward  Mistake — Presenting  him  a  Bag  of  Copies  of  the  Gospels 
— The  Costume  of  the  Soldiers — Morning  "Worship  —  Asking  a 
Blessing — Unfortunate  Coincidence — Attack  by  Imperialists — Sus- 
pected of  being  a  Spy — Letter  of  General  Lo — Cavalcade  by 
Torchlight — Provisions — A  Night  on  a  War-Junk — Effort  to  re- 
move Suspicion — Medical  Relief — Extract  from  Journal. 

Far  from  being  satisfied  with  the  result  of  this  effort, 
I  procured  a  set  of  boatmen  on  whose  courage  I 
thought  I  could  rely  more  confidently,  embarked  a 
second  time  as  already  narrated,  and  proceeded  once 
more  to  Silver  Island. 

To  reach  this  spot  I  had  again  to  run  the  blockade 
by  the  Imperial  fleet,  which  consisted  of  near  a  hun- 
dred sail  of  war  junks,  Portuguese  lorchas,  and,  to 
their  shame  be  it  said,  five  English  and  American 
vessels,  with  their  crews,  who  had  hired  themselves 
to  aid  the  Tartar  usurpers  in  this  unrighteous  warfare, 
for  sustaining  their  corrupt  dynasty  and  perpetuating 
idolatry  among  an  entire  third  of  the  human  family. 
We  passed  directly  under  the  guns  of  one  of  these 


34:0  FIVE   YEARS   IN   CHTNA. 

foreign  vessels,  and  stopped  at  Silver  Island  until 
nightfall,  when  we  crossed  over  to  the  southern  shore 
and  anchored  till  morning,  under  a  steep,  rocky  bluff. 
My  boatmen  this  time  also,  proved  to  be  very  timid, 
and  absolutely  refused  to  go  any  nearer  Chin-kiang-fu. 
For,  besides  the  blockade  by  the  fleet,  the  Imperial 
army  besieging  that  city  was  encamped  on  some  hills 
in  sight.  We  had  also  learned  that,  seeing  foreign 
vessels  in  the  hostile  fleet,  the  insurgents  had  sup- 
posed foreigners  generally  were  enlisted  against 
them,  and  had  issued  a  proclamation  offering  a 
reward  of  five  thousand  dollars  for  the  head  of  any 
"  outside-country  man."  Xo  inducement  would  pre- 
vail with  my  boatmen  to  advance  any  further,  and 
they  endeavored  to  dissuade  me  from  the  attempt, 
saying  that  if  I  persisted,  they  felt  certain  I  would 
never  come  back  alive.  Iso  alternative  was  then  left 
me  between  returning,  or  going  alone  on  foot  to  the 
stronghold  of  the  insurgents.  So,  at  daybreak  the 
next  morning  I  landed,  against  the  earnest  entreaties 
of  my  companions,  taking  with  me  a  carpet-bag  filled 
with  copies  of  the  Gospels  and  other  Christian  tracts, 
and  finding  a  path  leading  along  the  bank  of  the 
river,  now  through  dense  thickets  of  reeds,  and  then 
on  the  top  of  a  dike,  which  had  been  thrown  up  to 
prevent  inundation,  as  related  in  a  former  chapter. 
I  had  visited  this  city  by  the  inland  route  from 
Shanghai  a  year  before,  disguised  in  Chinese  costume. 
"With  this  exception,  no  foreigner  had  been  here  since 
its  capture  by  the  British,  after  the  most  sanguinary 
battle  of  the  war,  eleven  years  before.  Kor  was  I 
insensible  to  the  danger  of  thus  approaching  it  alone 
and  defenceless,  since  it  was  to  be  presumed  the 


SECOND   TRIP   TO   THE   INSURGENT   CAMP.  341 

present  occupants  had  conceived  no  very  favorable 
feelings  toward  foreigners,  from  the  fifty-three  rounds 
of  shell  by  the  Hermes,  which  were  supposed  to  have 
taken  terrible  effect.  I  knew  all  this,  and  thought 
much  upon  it,  and  upon  the  possibilities  and  proba- 
bilities of  a  rough,  perhaps  fatal  reception.  And  yet 
I  walked  on  with  a  cheerful  hopefulness  that  amount- 
ed almost  to  an  assurance  of  my  safety.  The  city 
stands  a  third  of  a  mile  from  the  river,  in  an  amphi- 
theatre of  hills  on  the  east,  south  and  west.  A  steep, 
narrow  ridge  runs  from  the  northeastern  gate  to  the 
river,  where  it  terminates  at  the  water's  edge  in  a 
high,  precipitous,  rocky  promontory.  On  the  top  of 
this  bluff  are  a  temple,  an  imperial  pavilion,  and  a 
cast  iron  pagoda  nine  stories  high — the  octagonal 
piece  forming  the  wall  of  each  story  is  one  casting, 
and  its  projecting  roof  with  curved  corners,  is  an- 
other. The  interior  is  entirely  filled  with  brick 
masonry,  and  as  the  stories  are  of  diminutive  size, 
the  whole  structure  is  not  more  than  fifty  feet  high. 
Still,  it  is  quite  a  curiosity  as  a  work  of  ancient  art, 
for  it  is  said  to  be  several  hundred  years  old.  The 
pavilion  is  simply  a  quadrangular  pyramidal  roof, 
with  curved  slopes,  ornamented  after  the  usual  style 
of  Chinese  architecture,  and  supported  by  four  gra- 
nite pillars.  This  promontory,  with  its  edifices,  had 
been  converted  into  a  garrison  by  the  insurgents.  A 
stockade  had  been  thrown  up  along  on  the  top  of  the 
ridge,  beginning  at  the  wall  of  the  city  and  running 
around  the  summit  of  the  bluff.  It  consisted  of  a 
double  row  of  stakes  ten  feet  high,  driven  into  the 
ground  and  walled,  or  rather  boarded  up,  with  the 
doors,  shutters  and  floors  of  the  shops   and  dwellings 


342  FIVE  YEARS   IN   CHINA. 

in  the  city,  and  the  intervening  space  of  five  feet  was 
filled  in  with  earth.  I  found  this  hill,  and  indeed 
the  whole  city,  fortified  with  great  strength,  and  a 
degree  of  military  skill  that  was  quite  surprising. 
For  several  hundred  yards  the  approach  to  it  at  this 
point,  which  was  a  wide,  smooth  path,  a  year  before, 
was  rendered  exceedingly  difficult  by  means,  first,  of 
a  deep  ditch,  which  I  jumped  across;  then  the  high 
bank,  up  and  over  which  I  climbed ;  then  a  fence  of 
palisades,  through  which  I  succeeded,  after  some 
danger  to  my  clothes,  in  finding  my  way.  Next,  a 
number  of  trees  cut  down  and  thrown  in  the  way, 
with  the  boughs  pointing  outward,  called  by  military 
men,  dbattis  ;  then  another  row  of  palisades  and  more 
abattis.  J^"ext,  a  quantity  of  coups  de  lowps,  i.  e.,  pit- 
falls, or  round  holes,  a  foot  in  diameter  and  two  feet 
deep,  dug  so  near  each  other  as  to  give  the  spot  the 
appearance  of  a  piece  of  honey-comb.  These  holes 
had  been  covered  with  straw,  but  as  some  unsus- 
pecting Imperialists  had  probably  attempted  to  walk 
that  way  before  myself,  and  had  evidently  walked 
into  the  holes,  I  profited  by  their  experience  and 
cautiously  picked  my  path  among  them.  Beyond 
these,  were  great  numbers  of  strong,  bamboo  splints, 
driven  firmly  into  the  ground  and  sharpened.  They 
projected  about  four  inches,  and  stood  so  thickly 
together  that,  after  taking  a  step,  I  had  to  stand  on 
one  foot  and  look  about  with  the  greatest  care  for  a 
place  in  which  to  put  the  other.  Then  more  pali- 
sades and  abattis,  and  another  ditch,  deep  and  wide, 
with  a  long  plank  for  crossing  it ;  that  is  for  the  rebels 
to  cross  when  they  wished,  but  not  for  me,  for  it  was 
pulled  over  on  their  side.     So,  after  throwing  my 


SECOND  TRIP  TO  THE  INSURGENT  CAMP.     343 

carpet-bag  of  books  across,  I  jumped  almost  across ; 
but,  as  the  sides  were  nearly  perpendicular,  might  as 
well  have  not  jumped  at  all,  that  is,  if  the  old  adage, 
"  a  miss  is  as  good  as  a  mile  "  be  true,  and  it  was 
true  in  that  instance,  for  my  experience  convinced 
me  that  the  properties  of  mud  and  water  were  the 
same  near  the  bank  of  a  ditch  as  in  the  middle.  I 
clambered  out  according  to  the  most  approved 
method,  and  thus  reached  the  foot  of  the  steep  hill. 
Discovering  men  on  the  summit,  I  made  a  signal  to 
them,  and  they  beckoned  to  me  to  come  on.  I 
pointed  to  my  carpet-bag,  and  gave  them  to  under- 
stand, by  the  language  of  signs,  that  I  was  fatigued 
and  would  like  some  assistance,  particularly  as  there 
were  more  sharpened  bamboo  sticks,  and  another 
ditch  half  way  up  the  hill.  Whereupon  one  of  them 
came  down,  replied  briefly  to  my  salutation,  and 
taking  the  carpet-bag,  led  the  way  up  the  rough 
ascent.  Just  as  the  sun  was  rising  we  entered  the 
stockade  by  a  large  port-hole,  and  in  a  moment  more 
I  was  surrounded  by  a  motley  crowd  of  dark-visaged, 
"  long-haired "  men  and  boys,  armed  with  swords, 
matchlocks  and  long  spears,  with  small,  triangular, 
yellow  flags,  flying  from  the  points.  Many  of  them 
had  their  hair  fastened  up  on  the  top  of  the  head  by 
small  turbans  of  red  and  yellow  silk.  Their  uniform 
was  multiform,  apparently  from  the  want  of  a  suffi- 
cient quantity  of  cloth  or  silk  of  the  requisite  colors, 
which  appeared  to  be  yellow  for  their  close  jackets, 
and  red  or  blue  for  their  loose  pantaloons.  As  it 
was,  their  garments  were  as  diversified  in  color  as 
were  the  soldiers  themselves  in  age,  size,  cast  of 
countenance  and  dialect,  for  they  had  been  gathered 


344:  FIVE   TEAKS    IN    CHINA. 

from  the  several  provinces  through  which  the  patriot 
army  had  passed  in  its  victorious  march  from 
Kwang-si  northward,  to  the  capture  of  Nanking, 
the  ancient  capital  of  the  empire.  I  thus  found 
myself  a  new  and  unexpected  arrival  in  the  midst 
of  these  fierce-looking  "long-haired  men"  who 
crowded  about  me  in  great  numbers,  and  with  eager 
curiosity  to  learn  whence  I  came,  who  I  was,  and 
what  brought  me.  To  these  inquiries  I  replied  that 
I  was  from  Shanghai,  that  I  was  an  American,  and 
my  name  was  Taylor.  With  reference  to  my  busi- 
ness there,  I  requested  to  be  conducted  to  their  high- 
est officer  in  the  city,  to  whom  I  would  make  known 
my  object  in  visiting  them.  Being  very  anxious  to 
have  me  tell  them  at  once,  they  showed  me  the  way 
into  a  well-furnished  hall  and  had  tea  brought  for 
me,  having  first  desired  me  to  be  seated  in  one  of  the 
many  cushioned  chairs  ranged  along  in  two  rows, 
facing  each  other,  up  and  down  the  middle  of  the 
large  apartment.  Alternating  with  the  chairs  were 
what  we  call  teapoys — small,  square,  or  oblong  stands, 
for  holding  cups  of  tea  and  refreshments.  While  I 
was  sitting  here  sipping  my  tea,  and  the  object  of 
strange  interest  to  these  wild-looking  men  and  boys, 
who  had  never  before  seen  a  foreigner,  one  who 
seemed  to  be  a  subordinate  officer  came,  and  seating 
himself  by  my  side,  again  asked  for  what  I  had  come. 
Fearing  if  I  should  tell  him,  that  having  once  satisfied 
their -own  curiosity,  they  would  not  take  me  to  the 
commandant,  I  resolutely  refused  to  answer  any  ques- 
tions on  that  subject  till  I  was  conducted  to  his  pre- 
sence. Seeing  my  determination,  they  furnished  me 
with  a  guide  and  an  escort  of  two  or  three  soldiers, 


SECOND  TRIP   TO   THE   INSURGENT   CAMP.  345 

all  armed  with  long  spears  and  swords.  The  man 
who,  in  the  first  instance,  came  down  the  hill  for  my 
carpet-bag,  still  kept  possession  of  it  and  followed  on. 
Our  path  lay  along  on  the  narrow  ridge  before  de- 
scribed, within  the  stockades,  which  were  being  rap- 
idly taken  down  and  replaced  by  a  substantial  wall 
of  brick  and  stone,  three  or  four  feet  thick,  furnished 
with  embrasures  and  port-holes,  through  which  can- 
non of  various  calibre  were  poking  their  ugly  noses. 
The  soldier-artisans  were  working  like  bees  on  the 
unfinished  portions — some  bringing  brick,  some  lay- 
ing them,  and  some  making  mortar.  My  guides  were 
frequently  asked,  as  we  passed  along,  who  was  that 
stranger,  and  their  invariable  answer  was,  Yang 
shoong  dee ;  i.  e.,  "  Foreign  brother  " — a  term  of  civil- 
ity and  affection  never  before  applied  to  foreigners 
in  China. 

We  soon  came  to  the  northeastern  gate  of  the  city, 
through  which  I  had  walked  a  year  before.  It  had 
been  completely  filled  up  with  heavy  stone  masonry, 
and  now  the  only  access  was  by  a  narrow  flight  of 
stone  steps  to  the  top  of  the  wall.  Through  a  narrow 
door  in  the  parapet  we  entered,  and  here  were  again 
surrounded  by  multitudes  of  astonished  spectators, 
who  stared  till  their  eyes  seemed  ready  to  leap  at  me 
from  their  sockets  like  so  many  bullets.  Their  curi- 
osity being  a  little,  and  but  a  little,  abated  by  the 
answers  of  my  escort — for  many  of  them  spoke  dia- 
lects which  I  did  not  understand — we  proceeded  on 
through  the  stone-paved  streets,  now  entirely  de- 
serted, but  which,  when  I  was  here  a  year  ago,  dis- 
guised as  a  native,  were  teeming  with  a  busy,  thri- 
ving population.     The  inhabitants  had  all  fled  at  the 

15* 


346  FIVE   YEAKS   IN   CniNA. 

approach  of  the  patriot  forces,  leaving  their  shops 
and  dwellings,  and  most  of  their  furniture,  .goods, 
utensils,  and  effects  of  various  kinds.  The  buildings 
were,  for  the  most  part,  left  standing,  but  without 
doors  and  shutters — these  all  having  been  taken,  as 
before  stated,  to  assist  in  the  construction  of  stock- 
ades on  the  hill,  and  along  the  river  bank  fronting 
the  city.  Tables,  chairs,  trunks,  boxes,  bedsteads, 
cooking  utensils,  etc.,  lay  strewn  about  in  the  houses 
or  piled  up  together  in  confused  masses,  with  straw, 
ashes,  bits  of  paper,  rags,  and  rubbish  of  every  con- 
ceivable description.  The  contrast  with  the  appear- 
ance of  things  here  the  year  before,  was  truly  painful, 
and  I  could  but  breathe  a  prayer  that  the  former 
inhabitants  of  this  once  populous  city  might  be  re- 
stored to  their  homes  again,  in  the  possession  of 
Christianity  and  its  blessings,  to  such  an  extent  as  to 
far  more  than  compensate  for  their  present  privations, 
losses  and  inconvenience  in  exile.  As  we  passed 
along,  I  saw  several  very  aged  men  and  women,  who 
were  probably  too  old  and  infirm  to  flee,  and  per- 
haps, considering  they  had  not  long  to  live  at  any 
rate,  thought  they  might  as  well  die  then,  as  to  drag 
out  a  few  more  days  of  miserable,  homeless  existence. 
But,  probably  quite  contrary  to  their  expectations, 
their  lives  were  not  only  spared,  but  they  were  fur- 
nished with  food,  and  allowed  to  retain  their  dwell- 
ings and  property.  Still,  the  poor  creatures  looked 
the  pictures  of  sorrow,  and  my  heart  yearned  over 
them  as  their  sun  seemed  likely  to  set  in  clouds  and 
darkness.  Oh  might  even  their  dim  eyes  be  permitted 
to  see  the  dawning  of  a  brighter  day  than  has  ever 
yet  shone  on  the  "  flowery  land,"  and  might  their 


SECOND   TKIP   TO   THE   INSURGENT   CAMP.  347 

ears — but  stay,  had  they  not  already  caught  some  of 
the  notes  of  praise  to  the  one  only  living  and  true 
God  ?  For  morning  and  evening  ascended  from  that 
beleaguered  city  the  doxology  : 

"  Praise  the  True  God,  who  is  the  Imperial  Supreme  Ruler ; 
Praise  Jesus  the  Saviour  of  the  world ; 
Praise  the  Holy  Divine  Influence— the  Holy  Spirit — 
Praise  these  three  who  compose  one  True  God." 

Indeed,  these  were  the  first  sounds  that  saluted  my 
ears  when  I  entered  the  garrison,  for  it  was  about 
sunrise,  and  they  were  engaged  in  their  morning  de- 
votions. What  words  to  hear  in  the  heart  of  the 
most  populous  pagan  empire  on  the  globe,  and  that, 
too,  from  lips  that  five  years  before  were  repeating 
the  senseless  mummeries  of  idolatrous  superstition ! 

"We  soon  reached  some  spacious  premises  that  had 
lately  been  the  residence  of  the  chief  mandarin  of 
the  city  and  surrounding  country,  but  was  now  the 
headquarters  of  Lo-ta-yun,  the  commandant  of  the 
patriot  forces  at  this  place.  My  escort  led  the  way 
through  five  successive  buildings,  and  as  many  open 
courts,  all  in  a  line  from  the  street,  from  which  the 
innermost  of  all,  the  sixth,  is  visible.  The  buildings 
had  large  yellow  curtains  flaunting  in  the  breeze,  on 
each  side  of  the  passage  through  them.  Having 
reached  the  interior  building,  which  was  in  fact  the 
dwelling,  the  others  being  occupied  by  attendants, 
soldiers,  and  servants,  I  was  here  directed  to  a  seat  in 
the  large  reception  hall,  which  was  quite  similar  in 
its  general  features  to  the  one  into  which  I  had  been 
ushered  on  my  first  appearance  in  the  garrison.  It 
had  ornamental  lanterns  of  fantastic  shapes,  and  rich 


348  FIVE   TEARS   IN   CHINA. 

embroidered  hangings  suspended  from  the  roof  and 
about  the  sides  of  the  apartment.     The  courtyard  in 
front  of  this,  was  filled  with  rare  and  beautiful  flow- 
ers and  plants,  in  unique  pots  of  every  size  and  shape 
I  soon  inquired  for  Zo-ta-yun,  and  on  being  asked 
why  I  wished  to  see  him,  I  replied  that  1  should  tell 
no  one  but  himself  in  person.     There  was  here,  as 
'before,  a  crowd  of  curious  spectators,  who  examined 
my  hat  and  dress,  and  hands,  with  much  the  same  in- 
terest with  which  you  would  look  at  a  strange  animal 
of  some  heretofore  unheard  of  species,  in  a  mena- 
gerie.    It  was  almost  enough  to  make  one  doubt  of 
himself  whether  he  were  indeed  of  the  genus  homo. 
Before  many  minutes  a  man  of  middle  stature,  appa 
rently  about  forty-live  years  of  age,  came  out  from 
an  adjoining  room  and  took  a  seat  near  me.     He  was 
stoutly  built,  had  a  well-formed  head,  and  a  piercing 
black  eye  that  looked  out  from  under  a  pair  of  promi- 
nent,  over-arching   brows.     One  of  the  attendants, 
who  afterward  acted  the  part  of  interpreter  for  me, 
as  he  was  a  kind  of  secretary  to  the  commandant, 
told  me  this  was  Lo-ta-yun.     There  was  no  appear- 
ance  of  an  officer  in  his  manner  or  dress.     He  had 
on  a  short  blue  silk  jacket,  and  dark  brown  loose 
trowsers.     I  had  formed  such  an  idea  of  the  princely 
appearance   of    Lo,    whose    reputation  for   military 
sagacity  and  skill  had  spread  his  name  widely  abroad, 
that  when  this  personage  made  his  appearance,  so 
destitute  was  he  of  the  pompous  display  so  common 
to  Chinese  officials  I  did  not  believe  he  was  the  man, 
and  began  to  think  another  attempt  was  being  made 
to  hinder  me  in  my  design  of  obtaining  access  to 
their  chief.     I  frankly  expressed  my  doubts,  refusing, 


SECOND  TEIP   TO   THE   INSURGENT   CAMP.  349 

at  the  same  time,  to  reply  to  his  interrogatories,  and 
requested  again,  to  see  the  highest  officer  in  the  city, 
for  I  was  resolved  not  to  be  thwarted  in  my  intention 
to  have  an  interview  with  Lo  himself,  if  it  was  in  the 
power  of  perseverance  to  compass  it. 

I  have  since  wondered  at  his  forbearance  with  my 
pertinacity,  when  he  knew  I  was  so  completely  in  his 
hands.  He  could  have  had  my  head  taken  off  at  av 
word,  and  never  have  been  called  to  account  for  the 
act.  I  could  scarcely  credit  his  repeated  assurances 
that  he  was  the  man  whom  I  sought  to  see,  and  it 
was  not  until  his  attendants  attired  him  in  his  official 
uniform,  and  he  took  his  seat  in  the  large  chair  at  a 
table  in  the  middle  of  the  hall,  and  began  to  issue 
his  orders  to  the  soldiers  who  placed  themselves  in 
array,  and  received  his  commands  in  the  most  defe- 
rential manner,  that  my  doubts  were  quite  removed. 
I  then  informed  him  fully  of  myself,  my  occupation, 
and  my  object  in  visiting  his  camp.  At  the  same 
time  I  opened  my  carpet-bag  and  laid  its  contents  on 
his  table.  The  books  were  the  four  Gospels  and  Acts, 
the  book  of  Genesis,  and  many  other  tracts  and  books 
on  the  Christian  religion.  He  appeared  quite  pleased 
in  looking  at  them,  and  said  the  doctrines  he  believed, 
were  the  same  with  ours.  Notice  of  my  arrival  had 
been  sent  to  the  second  officer  in  command,  and  he 
soon  came  in  a  large  handsome  sedan,  borne  by  four 
coolies,  and  with  quite  a  train  of  soldiers  and  attend- 
ants going  before  and  following.  He  came  in,  and  a 
seat  was  placed  for  him  at  the  right  of  Lo.  The  uni- 
form of  the  two  was  nearly  alike,  being  a  yellow  silk 
or  satin  cap,  covering  the  whole  head  and  extending 
in  a  sort  of  cape,  half-way  down  the  back,  leaving 


350  FIVE   TEAKS   IN   CHINA. 

only  the  face  exposed.  It  had  a  binding  of  red  satin 
an  inch  and  a  half  wide  all  around  the  edge,  and 
looked  in  shape  somewhat  like  the  representations  of 
the  caps  or  helmets  of  Egyptian  heroes,  or  of  the 
human  heads  on  the  monsters  represented  inLayard's 
Nineveh.  Next  was  a  long,  richly-figured,  satin 
gown,  reaching  to  the  ankles,  and  over  this  a  red, 
figured  satin  waistcoat,  or  jacket-like  garment,  with 
sleeves  conveniently  loose  and  short.  You  know 
they  eschew  "  shaving  the  head,"  that  being  one  of 
the  abominations  introduced  by  the  "fiendish  Tar- 
tars." So  they  have  their  long  hair  all  twisted  or 
braided  up,  and  fastened  on  the  top  of  the  head  by  a 
piece  of  yellow  silk,  answering  the  purpose  of  a  tur- 
ban, without  being  as  full ;  the  common  soldiers  wear 
red  silk  on  the  head.  All  the  members  and  depend- 
ents of  Lo's  household  assembled  in  the  large  hall, 
morning  and  evening,  when  he  or  one  of  his  secreta- 
ries read  a  portion  either  from  the  book  of  Genesis — 
that  being  the  only  part  of  the  Bible  yet  discovered 
among  them — or  from  some  of  the  religious  tracts 
written  by  Tai-ping-woyig  himself.  After  reading, 
during  which  all  present  sit  and  listen  attentively, 
they  all  join  in  chanting  a  hymn,  alwaj^s  closing 
with  the  doxology  above  translated.  Then  each  one 
takes  the  cushion  from  his  chair,  and  putting  it  down 
before  him  on  the  brick  floor,  kneels  on  it  in  a  very 
solemn  manner,  with  his  eyes  closed,  while  Lo  him- 
self, or  the  secretary,  prays  audibly,  the  rest  remain- 
ing perfectly  silent.  It  was  the  most  impressive 
scene  I  ever  witnessed,  from  the  reflections  and  asso- 
ciations to  which  it  gave  rise,  and  which  I  must  leave 
for  the  imagination  of  my  readers  to  supply.     The 


SECOND   TEIP   TO   THE   INSUKGENT   CAMP.  351 

only  drawback  to  its  solemnity,  to  my  mind — but 
none  in  theirs — was  the  accompaniment  to  the  chant- 
ing, consisting  of  all  the  discordant  sounds  of  gongs, 
drums,  cymbals,  horns,  and  various  other  instruments, 
but  ill-suited,  in  our  estimation,  to  produce  that  de- 
votional feeling  so  important  in  Christian  worship. 
Breakfast  was  soon  announced,  and  I  was  conducted 
into  an  adjoining  room  to  a  square  table,  with  seats 
for  two  at  each  side.  I  was  politely  invited  to  sit 
down  first,  and  then  seven  others,  the  secretaries  and 
officers  of  Lo,  also  took  their  seats.  I  had  heard  the 
insurgents  were  in  the  habit  of  saying  grace  before 
eating,  and  I  wanted  to  see  how  this  would  be  done, 
but  presently  one  of  them  took  his  chopsticks  and 
requested  me  to  do  the  same,  for,  as  a  mark  of  civility, 
they  would  not  eat  till  I  had  begun.  I  mentioned  to 
them  what  information  we  foreigners  had  received 
about  their  practice  of  asking  a  blessing,  and  they 
immediately  replied  it  was  true,  and  that  it  had  just 
been  done  in  the  room  from  which  we  came,  at  the 
conclusion  of  the  prayer.  I  thereupon  informed  them 
that  it  was  our  custom  to  ask  a  blessing  at  the  table, 
and  if  they  had  no  objection  I  would  do  so  at  that 
time.  They  very  cheerfully  assented,  and  after  I  had 
finished  they  seemed  quite  gratified,  saying  that  the 
spirit  and  design  of  the  thing  was  the  same,  though 
the  manner  of  performing  it  was  different. 

At  every  meal  after  this,  during  my  stay,  all  at  the 
table  waited  for  me  to  ask  a  blessing. 

In  the  middle  of  the  room  in  which  we  ate  was  a 
table,  on  which  were  placed  twelve  bowls — three 
each  of  rice,  of  meat,  of  vegetables,  and  of  tea.  On 
inquiring   the   meaning  of  this,  I   was  told  it  was 


352  FIVE   YEAES   IN   CHINA. 

designed  as  an  offering  to  the  Supreme  Euler— one 
of  each  kind  respectively  for  the  Father,  Son  and 
Holy  Spirit.  After  being  allowed  to  remain  thus  for 
some  time  they  were  removed,  but  whether  eaten  or 
not  by  others  I  did  not  learn.  The  fact  of  their  pre- 
senting offerings  of  this  kind  is  proof  presumptive 
tliat  they  had  as  yet  no  knowledge  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment— a  want  which  I  supplied  as  far  as  practicable 
on  that  visit,  with  what  effect  time  only  can  reveal. 
I  went  about  freely  among  the  officers  and  soldiers 
and  was  allowed  to  visit  any  part  of  the  city.  In  my 
walks  through  the  different  streets,  I  saw  many 
blacksmiths  and  carpenters  making  warlike  imple- 
ments and  gun-carriages.  They  were  the  only  arti- 
sans seen  pursuing  their  regular  avocations.  I  also 
noticed  great  numbers  of  boys  bearing  spears  and 
swords,  and  performing  duty  with  the  older  soldiers. 
Their  stockades  and  batteries  were  well  provided 
with  guns  of  every  size  and  description,  from  jinjalls 
to  large  cannon.  Their  flags  of  a  triangular  form 
were  very  numerous,  inscribed  with  the  name  of 
their  chief  and  the  title  of  the  new  dynasty.  On 
repeated  inquiries  of  different  individuals,  at  different 
times  and  places,  as  to  their  numbers,  I  was  uniformly 
told  that  they  were  fifty  or  sixty  thousand  strong  in 
that  city.  I  observed  no  regularity  or  order  in  their 
movements,  and  yet  a  state  of  perfect  discipline  and 
subordination  prevailed.  I  was  struck  with  the  calm 
and  earnest  enthusiasm  that  pervaded  the  entire 
body,  and  the  perfect  confidence  evinced  in  the 
justice  of  their  cause  and  its  final  success.  To  my 
frequent  inquiries  as  to  when  and  in  what  direction 
they  would  next  move,  and  especially  on  asking  the 


SECOND   TRIP   TO   THE   INSURGENT   CAMP.  353 

officers  when  they  proposed  to  come  towards  Shang- 
hai, they  replied,  that  whenever  they  received  an 
intimation  from  the  Heavenly  Father  ;  as  they  never 
moved  in  any  quarter  without  such  direction. 

The  insurgents  abounded  in  fresh  provisions,  which 
were  brought  in  clandestinely  and  sold  by  the  inha- 
bitants of  the  surrounding  country. 

After  some  hours  I  returned  to  my  boat  to  get  the 
other  bag  of  tracts,  and  at  the  request  of  General  Lo, 
together  with  his  assurance  of  perfect  safety  to  my 
boatmen,  to  bring  them  along  with  me.  I  found  them 
with  the  boat  a  few  rods  from  the  spot  where  I  had 
landed,  and  hid  from  view  on  the  land-side  by  the 
tall  reeds  on  the  river  bank.  They  seemed  almost  as 
much  surprised  at  seeing  me,  as  if  one  had  appeared 
from  the  dead ;  but  they  had  so  thoroughly  imbibed 
the  dread  of  the  "  long-haired  men" — so  industriously 
cherished  by  the  accounts  of  their  cruelt}r,  which  the 
imperialist  mandarins  circulated  in  their  proclama- 
tions far  and  wide — that  no  assurances  of  safety  I 
could  give  them  would  induce  them  to  go  any  nearer 
to  the  city.  So,  to  accomplish  my  objects,  I  was 
under  the  necessity  of  making  three  several  visits  on 
foot  to  my  boat,  two  miles  distant,  in  doing  which  it 
was  unavoidable  to  pass  the  imperialist  lines,  not 
very  far  from  their  camp,  as  their  tents  lay  spread 
out  on  the  hills  to  my  left,  and  within  gun-shot  of  the 
river  bank,  along  which  my  path  lay.  The  second 
time,  I  took  as  many  more  copies  of  the  books  as  I 
could  well  carry,  and  as  I  was  approaching  the  forti- 
lied  hills  by  the  same  path  as  at  first,  the  imperial 
fleet  came  up  and  attacked  the  city.  At  the  com- 
mencement  of  the   attack   I    heard    a    cannon-ball 


354:  FIVE  YEARS   IN   CHINA. 

whistling  tb rough  the  air,  some  distance  above  my 
head,  and  strike  on  the  earth  beyond.  I  picked  up  one 
that  I  found  lying  on  the  bank,  and  taking  it,  clambered 
the  hill,  entered  the  fortress,  and  gave  it  to  the  gun- 
ners, with  which  to  return  the  compliment.  With 
General  Lo  at  my  side,  using  my  spy-glass  to  watch  the 
movements  of  the  enemy,  I  witnessed  the  engagement 
from  the  top  of  the  ramparts.  The  enemy  kept  at 
such  a  safe  distance  that  most  of  their  balls  were  spent 
before  reaching  the  shore.  I  could  not  ascertain  that 
the  insurgents  suffered  the  least  injury  from  the  can- 
nonade of  the  imperialists :  nor  could  I  discover  what 
amount  of  execution  was  done  to  the  assailants. 

Observing  that  I  was  carefully  watched  in  all  my 
movements,  I  soon  divined  that  I  was  suspected  of 
being  a  spy,  who  had  communicated  with  the  enemy 
since  leaving  the  city  in  the  morning,  and  that  this 
attack  was  the  result.  It  is  a  marvel  that  they  did  not 
take  my  life.  They  had  promised  me  an  escort  to  Kan- 
king,  but  I  knew  this  would  not  now  be  allowed,  so  to 
relieve  them,  I  prepared  to  depart.  I  took  my  leave  of 
Lo-ta-yun  at  night,  and  he,  after  having  hospitably 
entertained  me  during  my  stay,  gave  me  three  live 
fowls  and  two  hams,  for  my  food  on  the  way  back  to 
Shanghai.  lie  also  had  my  carpet-bag  tilled  with 
the  books  that  had  been  published  by  the  order  of 
Tai-ping-wong,  and  with  the  royal  proclamations  he 
had  issued.  Lo  also  wrote  a  friendly  letter  to  his 
"  foreign  brethren"  at  Shanghai,  of  which  the  follow- 
ing is  a  translation  : 

"  Lo,  the  fifth  arranger  of  the  forces,  attached  to 
the  palace  of  the  celestial  dynasty  of.Tai-ping,  who 
has  received  the   command  of  Heaven  to  rule  the 


SECOND   TKIP   TO   THE   INSURGENT   CAMP.  355 

empire,  communicates  the  following  information  to 
all  his  English  brethren.  On  the  first  day  of  the  fifth 
moon  (June  5th)  a  brother  belonging  to  your  honora- 
ble nation,  named  Charles  Taylor,  brought  hither  a 
number  of  books,  which  have  been  received  in  order. 
Seeing  that  the  above  named  individual  is  a  fellow- 
worshipper  of  the  Supreme  Ruler,  he  is,  therefore, 
acknowledged  as  a  brother :  the  books  likewise  which 
he  has  brought  agree  substantially  with  our  own,  so 
that  it  appears  we  follow  one  and  the  same  road. 
Formerly,  however,  when  a  ship  belonging  to  your 
honorable  nation  came  hither  (the  Hermes)^  she  was 
followed  by  a  fleet  of  fiendish  vessels  belonging  to  the 
false  Tartars  :  now  also,  when  a  boat  from  your  hono- 
rable nation  comes  among  us,  the  fiendish  vessels  of 
the  Tartars  again  follow  in  its  wake.  Considering 
that  your  honorable  nation  is  celebrated  for  its  truth 
and  fidelity,  we,  your  younger  brothers,  do  not  harbor 
any  suspicions.  At  present  both  Heaven  and  men 
favor  our  design,  and  this  is  just  the  time  for  setting 
up  the  Chinese  and  abolishing  the  Tartar  rule.  We 
suppose  that  you,  gentlemen,  are  well  acquainted 
with  the  signs  of  the  times,  so  that  we  need  not 
enlarge  on  that  subject;  while  we,  on  our  parts,  do 
not  prohibit  commercial  intercourse,  we  merely 
observe  that  since  the  two  parties  are  now  engaged 
in  warfare,  the  going  to  and  fro  is  accompanied  with 
inconvenience  ;  and  judging  from  the  present  aspect 
of  affairs,  we  should  deem  it  better  to  wait  a  few 
months,  until  we  have  thoroughly  destroyed  the 
Tartars,  when,  perhaps,  the  subjects  of  your  honorable 
nation  could  go  and  come  without  being  involved  in 
the  tricks  of  these  false  Tartars.     Would  it  not,  in 


356  FIVE  YEARS   IN   CHLtfA. 

your  estimation,  also,  be  preferable  ?  We  take  advan- 
tage of  the  opportunity  to  send  you  this  communica- 
tion for  your  intelligent  inspection,  and  hope  that  every 
blessing  may  attend  you.  We  also  send  a  number  of 
our  own  books  which  please  to  circulate  amongst  you." 
The  provisions  and  my  carpet  bag  were  all  given  to 
a  servant  who  followed  me  to  the  outer  gate  of  his 
head-quarters,  where  was  a  horse  saddled  and  bridled 
waiting  for  me,  with  a  number  of  lieutenants  and 
several  hundred  men,  each  one  having  a  lantern,  and 
variously  armed  with  swords,  matchlocks  and  long 
spears,  whose  polished  blades  gleamed  in  the  light  of 
the  torches  and  lanterns.  With  this  imposing  proces- 
sion I  was  escorted  through  many  narrow,  winding 
streets,  all  lined  on  each  side  with  fully  armed  sol- 
diers standing  shoulder  to  shoulder.  This  left  barely 
space  for  my  cortege  to  pass  in  single  file,  and  it 
brought  me  within  arm's-length  of  these  swarthy, 
stalwart  warriors,  who  looked  savagely  at  me,  as  if 
they  longed  to  plunge  their  flashing  steel  into  the 
foreign  spy  instead  of  allowing  him  thus  to  escape 
unharmed.  I  was  in  this  manner  conducted  up  one 
street  and  down  another — it  seemed  to  me  for  miles 
— between  these  double  lines,  evidently  with  the 
design  of  giving  me  a  full  impression  of  their  num- 
bers and  equipments,  to  counteract  any  idea  I  might 
before  have  entertained  of  their  weakness.  We 
emerged  at  length  through  the  west  'gate  of  the  city, 
and  proceeded  to  the  bank  of  a  river,  where  was  a 
boat  waiting  to  convey  me  down  to  my  own.  Three 
brave  fellows,  armed  cap-a-pie,  got  in  with  me.  One 
of  them  was  the  chief  of  the  men  from  Kwei-chow,  a 
district  in  Kwang-si  province,  and  he   boasted  of  his 


SECOND  TRIP  TO  THE  INSURGENT  CAMP.     357 

native  tribe,  the  Miau4sz,  having  never  been  sub- 
ject to  the  Tartar  rule,  and  having  never  adopted 
their  custom  of  shaving  the  head.  He  was  a  noble 
looking  young  man,  tall,  straight  and  muscular,  with 
prominent  cheek  bones,  and  an  eye  like  an  eagle. 
He  reminded  me  of  some  fine  specimens  of  our  North 
American  Indians.  His  hair  was  bound  up  with  a 
piece  of  yellow  silk,  the  long  ends  of  which  hung 
loosely  down  on  his  back.  He  told  me  his  hair 
would  reach  the  ground,  its  great  length  being  evi- 
dently to  him  a  source  of  much  pride.  This  is  a 
peculiarity,  indeed,  in  which  they  all  take  great  satis- 
faction, and  it  has  given  them  one  of  their  distinctive 
names — chang-fali,  "long-haired."  But  as  the  tide 
was  against  us,  the  wind  high,  and  the  night  dark,  it 
was  determined  to  take  me  on  board  the  general's 
large  war  junk  that  lay  there  among  many  others, 
close  to  the  shore.  Here  I  was  assigned  to  his  state- 
room, which  was  well  furnished ;  but  as  the  night 
was  excessively  warm,  and  the  mosquitoes  trouble- 
some, I  slept  but  little.  The  tide  changed  about  two 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  with  my  escort  I  got  into 
the  small  boat  once  more.  We  were  proceeding 
slowly  down  the  river  near  the  shore,  and  had  not 
yet  passed  beyond  the  stockades,  when  we  were 
hailed  by  a  sentinel.  My  long-haired  friend  replied 
that  he  and  two  comrades  were  just  going  down  the 
river  a  little  way  to  accompany  the  "foreign  brother" 
to  his  boat ;  but  so  strict  were  the  orders  of  this  sen- 
try, and  so  faithful  was  he  to  them,  that  he  said  we 
must  come  to  land  and  allow  him  to  see  for  himself, 
or  he  should  fire  into  us.  My  companions  protested 
that  he  surely  knew  who  they  were,  but  all  to  no 


358  FTYE   TEAKS    IN    CHINA. 

avail — to  the  shore  we  had  to  go,  and  undergo  an 
examination  by  the  trusty  sentinel,  who  came  up 
with  his  lantern  as  we  landed,  and  when  he  had  the 
evidence  of  his  eyes  to  corroborate  that  of  his  ears,  he 
was  satisfied,  and  we  passed  on  a  few  hundred  yards, 
till  we  had  got  beyond  all  those  difficult  obstructions 
in  the  path  before  enumerated.  Then  I  insisted  on 
being  put  ashore,  and  walking  to  my  boat;  for  I 
would  not  allow  these  brave,  noble  fellows  to  risk 
their  lives  on  my  account,  as  I  knew  there  were 
Imperialist  scouts  out  night  and  day.  We  parted, 
with  many  expressions  of  good  feeling  and  urgent 
requests  on  their  part,  that  I  would  soon  visit  them 
again.  The  carpet-bag,  fowls  and  hams  having  been 
so  adjusted  on  a  stick  as  to  balance  across  my  shoul- 
ders, I  started  on,  after  hearing  the  splash  of  their 
oars  far  enough  to  satisfy  me  that  my  long-haired 
brethren  were  within  hail  of  their  own  intrench- 
ments.  My  load  was  so  heavy  and  troublesome  that 
after  having  carried  it  half  a  mile,  an  opportunity 
presented  itself  not  only  to  relieve  me,  but  to  bless 
another.  It  was  now  daylight,  and  I  had  come  near 
to  one  of  the  few  mud  and  straw  cottages  by  the 
path-side.  A  poor  old  man  had  just  come  out,  and  I, 
throwing  my  load  down  on  the  path,  beckoned  to 
him  to  come.  At  first  he  hesitated,  but  as  I  told  him 
not  to  fear,  and  that  I  had  something  to  give  him,  at 
the  same  time  pointing  to  the  hams  and  fowls  at  my 
feet,  he  mustered  sufficient  courage  to  approach.  'I 
told  him  to  take  those  provisions  into  his  house  and 
make  the  best  use  of  them  he  could.  The  poor  old 
man,  who  appeared  as  if  he  had  never  possessed  so 
much  at  one  time  in  his  whole  life,  seemed  to  mis- 


SECOND   TRIP   TO  THE   INSURGENT   CAMP.  359 

understand  me,  and  offered  to  carry  them  for  me  to 
my  boat.  On  being  assured  that  they  were  his  own, 
he  poured  out  all  his  vocabulary  of  gratitude  and 
blessing  on  my  head.  This  little  circumstance  made 
me  feel  richer  than  could  the  possession  of  all  the 
hams  and  chickens  in  China.  Shouldering  my  car- 
pet-bag I  trudged  along  not  only  with  a  lighter  load, 
but  with  such  a  light,  glad,  happy  heart,  that  I  noted 
not  the  remaining  mile  and  a  half  of  distance,  but 
found  myself  at  my  boat  as  if  by  a  few  steps,  and  in 
a  few  moments.  My  boatmen  were  no  less  rejoiced 
than  surprised  to  see  me  come  back  with  my  head  on 
my  shoulders.  I  was  unwilling  to  leave  the  insur- 
gents with  the  impression  which  they  evidently 
entertained  respecting  myself,  and  therefore  resolved 
to  attempt  removing  it  by  still  another  visit.  So 
on  setting  out  the  third  time,  I  took  the  medicines 
and  a  small  case  of  surgical  instruments,  which  I  had 
brought  with  me  from  Shanghai.  My  reappearance 
in  the  camp  created  more  surprise  than  had  my  first. 
I  explained  to  them  my  object  and  requested  to  be 
afforded  an  opportunity  to  benefit  if  possible  the  sick 
among  them.  At  first  they  hesitated,  but  their  con- 
fidence in  me  seemed  gradually  to  return,  and  in  a 
short  time  the  demand  for  medical  aid  was  greater 
than  I  had  the  means  of  supplying,  but  I  afforded 
relief  to  the  many  applicants,  as  far  as  within  my 
power.  Passing  along  a  street  I  observed  a  man  at 
an  anvil  in  one  of  the  shops,  forging  a  spear  head, 
and  saw  that  he  was  suffering  from  a  disease  in  one 
eye,  which  a  simple  surgical  operation  would  remedy. 
After  much  persuasion  both  from  his  companions  who 
crowded  around,  and  from  myself,  he  sat  down  and 


360  FIVE  TEARS   IN   CHINA. 

submitted  to  it.  Thus  did  I  natter  myself  with  the 
hope  of  becoming  partially,  at  least,  reinstated  in 
their  good  opinion.  Leaving  them  finally,  and 
returning  to  my  boat  once  more,  we  weighed  anchor 
and  in  a  few  minutes  were  on  our  way  back  to  Shang- 
hai, which  we  reached  safely  after  running  the 
blockade  again,  and  three  days'  sail  down  the  Yang- 
tsz-Kiang. 

An  entry  in  my  journal,  under  date  of  July  9, 
1853,*  just  one  month  after  my  return  from  the  visit 
to  their  camp  at  Chin-kiang-fu,  says,  athe  insurgents 
seem  to  have  made  no  further  movements  in  this 
direction,  though  it  is  said  a  strong  force  sallied  out 
from  Nan-king,  not  many  days  ago,  and  captured, 
without  difficulty,  some  large  cities  toward  the  West. 
It  is  also  confidently  asserted  that  the  five  or  six  pro- 
vinces through  which  the  patriots  passed  in  their  vic- 
torious march  northward — but  which  they  did  not 
attempt  to  retain  in  possession — have  voluntarily 
declared  in  favor-of  the  new  movement,  and  sent  in 
their  allegiance  to  Tai-ping-wong.  The  whole  em- 
piret  is  in  a  ferment  of  excitement.  Disaffection  to 
the  existing  government  is  spreading  rapidly,  and 
signs  of  it  are  manifest  in  the  open  resistance  to  the 
oppressive  demands  of  the  mandarins  in  every  direc- 
tion. Only  four  days  ago  the  enraged  populace  des- 
troyed the  furniture  and  a  part  of  the  buildings 
belonging  to  the  office  of  the  mayor  of  this  district, 
and  burnt  the  houses  of  two  tax  collectors,  in  conse- 
quence of  their  attempts  to  force  the  payment  of 
unjust  exactions.  The  feeling  is  becoming  univer- 
sally prevalent  among  the  people  of  all  classes,  that 
the  empire  is  destined  soon  to  change  hands." 


CHAPTER    XXYIII. 

HISTORY   OF  TAI-PING-WONG,   THE   REVOLUTIONARY 
LEADER. 

Literary  Examinations  at  Canton — Receives  a  Christian  Tract — Has  a 
Vision — Diligent  Study — Renounces  Idolatry — Returns  to  Canton 
— Receives  Instruction — Disappears — When  next  Heard  of — Perse- 
cuted— Self-defence — Numbers  Multiply — The  Miau-tsz — "  Triad 
Society  " — Singular  Proclamations — Fanatical  Errors — Form  of 
Prayer — Present  Condition. 

The  name  of  this  remarkable  personage  as  a  pri- 
vate individual  was  Hung-siu-tsiuen  and  as  such 
only,  was  he  known  to  a  Protestant  missionary  in 
Canton,  with  whom  he  sojourned  and  studied  some, 
at  least,  of  the  doctrines  of  the  Bible  for  about  two 
months.  But  as  there  was  not  at  that  time  the  least 
foreshadowing  of  what  he  was  destined  to  become, 
his  character  was  not  minutely  analyzed,  nor  was  his 
history  closely  inquired  into.  He  informed  his  in- 
structor that  some  years  before  (in  1835)  he  came  to 
Canton  as  a  candidate,  to  attend  the  triennial  exami- 
nation of  aspirants  to  literary  honors. 

Successful  competitors  are  eligible,  by  the  laws  of 
the  empire,  to  its  various  grades  of  rank  and  office. 
They  do  not  always,  however,  realize  the  reward  due 
to  their  exertions  ;  for,  as  in  many  other  more  en- 
lightened countries,  gold  supplies  the  lack  of  brains, 
and  bribes  will  often  secure  promotion  to  rich  block- 

1G 


362  FIVE   YEAES   IN   CHINA. 

heads  and  profligates,  while  superior  merit  is  left  to 
toil  on  in  poverty  and  obscurity.  This  form  of  in- 
justice is  one  of  the  many  grievances  set  forth  in  the 
manifestoes  of  the  revolutionists,  and  possibly  Hung- 
siu-tsiuen  himself  may  have  personally  experienced 
it. 

"While  in  attendance  at  the  examination  halls,  a 
book  was  presented  to  him  by  a  person  who  was  dis- 
tributing copies  of  it  on  that  occasion,  and  who 
proved,  upon  a  subsequent  comparison  of  time,  place, 
circumstances,  personal  appearance  and  the  title  of 
the  book — to  be  Leang-afa,  the  first  convert  to  Pro- 
testant Christianity  in  China,  and  for  thirty  years  a 
native  assistant  in  connection  with  the  London  Mis- 
sionary society,  and  whom  I  saw  and  heard  in  Can- 
ton. His  death  has  been  recently  announced  in  this 
country. 

Hung-siu-tsiuen  infonmed  the  missionary  that  he 
took  that  book  home  with  him  to  the  province  of 
Kwang-si,  and  studied  it  attentively  with  absorbing 
interest.  "Not  long  after  this,  at  a  period  correspond- 
ing with  some  time  in  1837,  he  stated  that  during  a 
severe  illness  he  had  a  vision  in  which  he  was  taken 
up  to  heaven,  where  he  saw  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  that 
he  was  thus  confirmed  in  his  belief  of  the  doctrines 
contained  in  the  book.  During  the  next  ten  years  he 
seems  to  have  been  diligently  laboring  to  disseminate 
them  among  the  pupils  of  a  school  which  he  taught 
for  a  livelihood,  and  among  his  countrymen  generally, 
who  would  assemble  at  his  house  to  hear  him  read 
and  expound  them.  His  efforts  were  attended  with 
considerable  success,  for  many  believed,  abandoned 
idolatry,  destroyed  their  images,  and  became  wror- 


HISTORY   OF  THE   REVOLUTIONARY   LEADER.         363 

shippers  of  the  true  God.  He  was  conscious  at  the 
same  time,  that  his  own  knowledge  of  this  new  faith 
was  imperfect,  and  thirsting  for  further  instruction 
he  repaired  with  a  friend  in  1847  to  Canton,  where  he 
had  heard  there  was  a  foreign  teacher  of  this  wonder- 
ful religion.  Inquiring  on  their  arrival,  where  the 
foreigner  lived  who  proclaimed  the  doctrines  of  Jesus, 
they  were  directed  to  one,  who  from  a  long  residence 
in  that  particular  vicinity,  was  perhaps  more  gene- 
rally known  to  its  inhabitants  than  many  of  the  other 
missionaries  stationed  at  that  city.  Hung-siu-tsiuen 
handed  him  a  written  paper  which  contained  the 
above-mentioned  items  of  his  history  and  the  details 
of  his  vision.  He  was  received  as  an  inquirer  after 
truth,  and  he  remained,  absorbed  in  its  pursuit,  as 
before  related  for  about  two  months  ;  but  his  friend 
left  in  a  few  days.  The  missionary  describes  him  as 
the  most  earnest  and  deeply-interested  student  of 
Christianity  he  had  ever  found  in  China ;  but  at  the 
same  time  strongly  tinctured  with  fanaticism.  As 
soon  as  he  learned  that  baptism  was  the  rite  of  admis- 
sion into  the  Church  of  Christ,  he  requested  that  it 
might  be  administered  to  him  ;  but  not  being  re- 
garded as  yet  prepared  for  that  sacrament,  he  was 
advised  to  continue  his  investigations  for  a  while 
longer,  with  the  hope  that  with  increased  light,  his 
views  would  become  less  visionary,  and  with  the  pro- 
mise, that  after  a  suitable  time,  upon  a  satisfactory 
examination,  his  desire  should  be  gratified.  Soon 
after,  however,  quite  unexpectedly,  and  from  some 
unknown  cause,  perhaps  disappointment  at  being  re- 
fused baptism,  he  disappeared,  and  though  diligent 
inquiry  was  made,  nothing  could  then  be  heard  of  him. 


364:  FIVE   YEAES   IN  CHINA.       * 

Five  years  after,  in  the  autumn  of  1852,  a  person 
who  was  probably  his  friend  above  alluded  to,  visited 
a  missionary  at  Hong-Kong,  and  gave  him  written 
accounts  of  the  movement  that  had  then  been  for 
several  years  in  progress,  and  known  to  foreigners  as 
the  Kwang-si  rebellion.  This  was  the  first  intimation 
we  had  of  the  religious  character  of  the  conflict,  and 
that  the  chief  was  the  man  who  had  been  taught  by  the 
missionary.  One  of  these  papers  stated  that  "  Hung- 
siu-tsiuen  studied  books  from  his  early  youth,  was 
intelligent  beyond  comparison,  and  having  read  all 
kinds  of  books,  he  went  to  the  examinations  at  fifteen 
or  sixteen  years  of  age."  Then  follows  in  substance 
the  foregoing  narrative.  It  further  proceeds — "it 
was  not  the  original  design  to  raise  a  rebellion,  but 
from  the  encroachments  and  injuries  inflicted  by  the 
officers  and  soldiers  to  which  we  could  not  submit, 
there  was  no  alternative  left  us."  In  the  official  re- 
ports of  these  very  officers  they  were  accused  of 
nothing  but  denouncing  idolatry,  breaking  the  idols 
in  the  temples,  exhorting  the  people  to  believe  in 
Jesus  and  worship  the  true  God.  They  were  for  these 
things  bitterly  persecuted,  prominent  men  among 
them  were  imprisoned,  sometimes  beaten,  and  finally 
two  of  them  were  put  to  death.  This  seems  to  have 
determined  them  to  assume  a  defensive  attitude. 
Confidence  in  the  justice  of  their  cause  and  an  avowed 
trust  in  God,  inspired  them  with  a  degree  of  ardor 
and  courage  which  their  adversaries  could  not  suc- 
cessfully resist.  The  latter  were  consequently  re- 
pulsed in  every  assault  upon  the  anti-idolaters. 

These  occurrences  were  not  far  from  the  mountain- 
ous  districts   inhabited   by  the   hardy  and  warlike 


HISTORY   OF   THE   REVOLUTIONARY   LEADER.         365 

tribes  called  the  Miau-tsz,  who  alone  of  the  native 
Chinese  race  were  never  subdued  bj  the  Tartars,  but 
have  always  maintained  their  independence,  and  have 
been  thorns  in  the  sides  of  these  invaders,  by  making 
frequent  incursions  upon  them  and  their  subjects  in 
the  conquered  territory.  Ever  watchful  for  opportu- 
nities to  assail  the  usurpers,  it  is  more  than  probable 
that  on  learning  of  this  new  struggle,  they  made  over- 
tures to  their  persecuted  fellow  countrymen,  to  make 
common  cause  with  themselves  against  the  govern- 
ment. This,  the  new  religionists  could  not  consist- 
ently do,  unless  the  Miau-tsz  would  also  adopt  the 
faith  for  which  they  were  contending  and  suffering. 
That  they  did  it — from  whatever  motive  in  the  first 
place — is  certain,  for  some  of  the  bravest  and  most 
zealous  of  its  champions  whom  I  subsequently  became 
acquainted  with  in  the  revolutionary  army,  were  of 
this  noble  tribe. 

Proposals  of  a  similar  character  were  doubtless 
made  by  the  members  of  a  secret  political  association 
called  the  Triad  Society,  which  has  existed  ever  since 
the  Tartar  conquest,  having  for  its  avowed  object,  to 
plot  the  overthrow  of  the  Tartar  dynasty.  Upon  like 
conditions,  probably,  a  coalition  with  them  also  was 
consented  to,  and  this  movement,  hitherto  only  a 
crusade  against  idolatry,  now  received  a  new  ele- 
ment, and  became  henceforth  a  politico-religious 
warfare  against  the  paganism  of  the  empire  on  the 
one  hand,  and  the  Tartar  usurpation  on  the  other. 

There  must  needs  then  be  a  regular  military  organ- 
ization, and  the  manner  in  which  this  was  accom- 
plished shows  an  amazing  amount  of  wisdom  and 
consummate   skill  on    the    part  of   its    projectors. 


366  FIVE   YEAKS   IN   CHINA. 

Hung-siu-tsiuen  allowed  himself  to  be  placed  at  its 
head  with  the  title  as  sovereign  of  Tai-ping-wong, 
"  Great  pacificating  King."  I  say  allowed,  for  it  does 
not  appear  from  anything  we  can  learn  of  his  pre- 
vious history  that  he  iad  the  slightest  tinge  of  ambi- 
tion for  such  a  position,  much  less,  we  believe,  did  it 
at  first  enter  his  wildest  dreams.  For,  dreamer  though 
he  was,  his  visions  were  rather  of  his  countrymen  freed 
from  the  dominion  of  their  degrading  superstitions, 
than  from  the  tyranny  of  an  oppressive  government. 
We  know  of  nothing  in  his  earlier  course  which  fur- 
nished the  least  warrant  for  the  idea,  that  he  sought 
for  himself  either  temporal  power  or  political  eleva- 
tion. The  force  of  singular  and  unforeseen  circum- 
stances placed  him  at  the  head  of  a  civil  revolution, 
and  finding  himself  thus  put  forward,  he,  or  his  im- 
mediate followers — perhaps  both — deemed  it  neces- 
sary for  the  maintenance  of  that  superior  dignity  and 
sacredness  that  always  attach  in  the  Chinese  mind  to 
the  person  of  their  sovereign,  that  he  should  assume 
to  have  been  favored — and  he  probably  fancied  he 
was — with  other  heavenly  visions,  and  that  in  these 
he  was  divinely  commissioned  to  exterminate  the 
whole  Tartar  race,  as  well  as  to  uproot  idolatry 
throughout  the  empire. 

He  published  in  his  proclamation,  that  "  accord- 
ing to  the  Sacred  Record,  in  the  beginning  the  True 
God  in  six  days  created  the  heavens,  earth,  sea,  men 
and  things — that  when  men  became  wicked,  God 
manifested  his  anger  by  sending  the  flood  and  de- 
stroying them.  That  again,  God  came  down  and  de- 
livered his  people  Israel  out  of  Egypt,  showing  great 
signs  and  wonders.     That  again,  a  third  time,  He  dis- 


HISTORY   OF  THE   REVOLUTIONARY   LEADER.         367 

played  His  awful  majesty  and  sent  bis  Son,  the 
Saviour  of  the  world,  the  Lord  Jesus,  down  to  the 
earth,  who  became  incarnate  in  the  land  of  Judea, 
and  suffered  for  the  redemption  of  mankind."  They 
then  assert,  that  in  a  certain  year  which  corresponds 
to  our  1837,  "  God  sent  a  celestial  messenger  to  take 
the  '  celestial  king,'  *.  e.,  Tai-ping-wong,  up  into 
heaven,  and  that  afterward  He  sent  the  celestial  king 
to  become  the  chief  of  the  empire,  and  save  the 
people."  And  further,  that  at  a  time  agreeing  with 
April,  1848,  "  God  came  down  into  the  world,  and 
six  months  after,  Jesus  came  down  and  displayed  his 
power  in  killing  great  numbers  of  the  Tartars  in 
several  battles." 

He  probably  derived  the  notion  of  God  descending 
to  the  earth,  and  interposing  in  human  affairs,  from 
Gen.  ii.,  5,  where  it  says :  "  The  Lord  came  down  to 
see  the  city  and  the  tower  which  the  children  of 
men  builded."  Again,  Gen.  xviii.,  21:  "And  the 
Lord  said,  I  will  go  down  now,  and  see  whether  they 
have  done,"  etc.  And  Exodus  iii.,  8  :  "  I  am  come 
down  to  deliver  them  out  of  the  hands  of  the 
Egyptians." 

He  claims,  or  his  ministers  of  state  claim  for  him, 
that  he  is  the  younger  brother  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  in 
the  same  proclamation  they  speak  of  the  Saviour  as 
"  our  celestial  elder  brother  Jesus."  It  is  quite  pos- 
sible they  have  been  led  into  this  error,  from  the 
want  of  sufficient  instruction,  and  by  a  too  literal 
and  exclusive  construction  of  the  passage  in  which 
an  Apostle  says  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  that  he  is 
"  our  elder  brother."  It  is  equally  possible,  that  in 
order  to  secure  a  high  degree  of  reverence  for  him  in 


3G8  FIVE   YEARS   IN   CHINA. 

the  eyes  of  his  followers,  it  has  been  so  distorted  as 
to  admit  of  his  being  called  "  the  second  son  of  the 
Heavenly  Father."  I  can  scarcely  believe  he  is 
aware  that  it  is  a  blasphemous  assumption,  from  the 
anxiety  he  has  manifested  to  avoid  that  sin.  For  ex- 
ample, he  will  not  allow  the  term  Hwang-ti,  "  Glo- 
rious Ruler,"  by  which  the  emperors  of  China  have 
always  been  called — to  be  applied  to  himself,  on  the 
ground  that  it  properly  belongs  only  to  God,  and 
that  it  is  blasphemy  for  a  mortal  to  be  thus  ad- 
dressed. 

The  term  used  in  some  of  the  Chinese  versions  of 
the  New  Testament,  for  the  Holy  Spirit,  has  been,  in 
like  manner,  recently  arrogated  to  himself  by  the 
prime  minister  of  State,  "  Yang,  the  eastern  king," 
without,  I  am  persuaded,  any  correct  conception  of 
the  idea  we  design  to  convey  by  it.  For  this,  as 
well  as  many  other  terms  we  are  compelled  to  use 
for  want  of  better  in  the  language,  we  often  find 
entirely  misapprehended,  even  after  our  best  attempts 
to  explain  it.  Their  benighted  minds  are  so  tho- 
roughly imbued  with  materialist  notions  of  religion 
that  it  is  exceedingly  difficult  to  bring  them  to  com- 
prehend the  spiritual  character  of  our  holy  Christian- 
ity. Extravagant  exaggeration  is  also  a  characteris- 
tic of  oriental  nations  ;  the  Chinese  are  no  exception 
to  the  rule,  and  in  passing  judgment  upon  expressions 
found  in  the  books  and  proclamations  of  the  insur- 
gents, this  strongly  marked  feature  must  be  allowed 
its  full  influence.  Especially  in  phrases  laudatory  on 
the  one  hand,  or  derogatory  on  the  other,  they  say 
far  more  than  they  mean. 

Still,  there  can  be  no  question,  that  elated  by  sue- 


HISTORY   OF  THE   REVOLUTION ART   LEADER,  3G9 

cess  and  fired  by  enthusiasm  for  what  they  believe  to 
be  right,  they  have  run  into  a  wild  fanaticism,  and 
set  up  pretensions  which  all  enlightened  people  must 
condemn.  At  the  same  time  we  may  well  be  rather 
surprised  that  a  people  just  emerging  from  the  thick 
darkness  in  which  forty  centuries  of  idolatry  have 
enveloped  them,  should  in  five  short  years  have 
received  so  much  of  Christian  truth,  than  that  it 
should  be  mingled  with  so  much  of  error.  While  we 
deplore  his  mistakes  and  discountenance  his  extrava- 
gances, shall  we  therefore  cut  him  off  entirely  from 
our  sympathy  ?  If  he  discarded  the  Bible  as  Mahomet 
did,  and  substituted  in  its  place,  a  production  of  his 
own  fevered  brain  ;  or  if,  like  the  Romanists,  he 
carefully  kept  that  Bible  from  the  people,  there  might 
be  some  reason  for  unqualified  denunciation.  But 
what  may  we  not  hope  for,  when  he  has  the  Holy 
Scriptures,  as  translated  by  Protestant  missionaries, 
reprinted  without  note  or  comment,  and  widely  cir- 
culated among  his  followers — appealing  to  it  as  the 
highest  authority  in  doctrine,  and  referring  them  to 
it  as  the  source  whence  he  has  derived  his  own 
knowledge  ?  Imperfectly  understood  and  intermin- 
gled with  fanatical  conceits,  as  many  of  its  doctrines 
are,  by  the  revolutionists,  yet  there  they  stand,  and 
the  Book  that  contains  them  is  scattered  broadcast 
wherever  their  arms  prevail.  For  a  long  time  they 
had  but  detached  portions  of  it,  and  this  fact  alone  is 
sufficient  to  account  for  some  of  the  errors  existing 
among  them  ;  but  of  late  they  have,  it  is  believed, 
the  whole.  The  officers  of  a  foreign  war  steamer  that 
visited  them  at  Nanking  after  I  left  China,  found  that 
about  six  htindred  men  were  employed  upon  a  large 

16* 


370  FIVE   YEAES   IN   CHINA. 

edition  of  the  Gospel  of  Matthew,  under  the  imme- 
diate supervision  of  Tai-ping-wong. 

That  he  is  at  present,  if  still  liying,  a  visionary,  an 
enthusiast,  a  fanatic,  I  do  not  deny,  but  I  cannot 
believe  he  is  a  willful  impostor  in  his  religious  profes- 
sions, while  he  bases  his  religion  on  the  Bible,  and 
then  takes  so  much  pains  to  have  that  Book  univer- 
sally read  by  his  countrymen,  that  they  may  see  for 
themselves  on  what  he  rests  his  faith  and  practice, 
and  can  judge  for  themselves  whether  he  is  right  or 
wrong. 

Here  is  a  translation  of  one  of  his  forms  of  prayer, 
taken  from  one  of  his  publications,  entitled  "The 
book  of  Eeligious  Precepts  of  the  Tai-ping-wong 
Dynasty." 

"  I,  thine  unworthy  son  (or  daughter),  kneeling 
down  upon  the  ground,  with  a  true  heart  repent  of 
my  sins,  and  pray  the  great  Supreme  Ruler  our 
heavenly  Father,  of  thine  infinite  goodness  and 
mercy,  to  forgive  my  former  ignorance  and  frequent 
transgressions  of  the  Divine  commands ;  earnestly 
beseeching  thee  of  thy  great  favor,  to  pardon  all  my 
former  sins,  and  enable  me  to  repent  and  lead  a  new 
life,  so  that  my  soul  may  ascend  to  heaven.  May  I 
from  henceforth  sincerely  repent  and  forsake  my  evil 
ways,  not  worshipping  false  gods,  nor  practising  per- 
verse things,  but  obeying  thy  Divine  commands.  I 
also  earnestly  pray  Thee  the  great  God  our  heavenly 
Father,  constantly  to  bestow  on  me  thy  Holy  Spirit, 
and  change  my  wicked  heart.  Never  again  allow 
me  to  be  deceived  by  malignant  demons ;  but,  per- 
petually regarding  me  with  favor,  forever  deliver  me 
from  the  Evil  One  ;  and  every  day  bestowing  on  me 


HISTORY   OF   THE    REVOLUTIONARY   LEADER.  371 

food  and  clothing,  exempt  me  from  calamity  and 
woe,  granting  me  tranquillity  in  the  present  world, 
and  the  enjoyment  of  endless  happiness  in  heaven  ; 
through  the  merits  of  our  Saviour  and  Heavenly 
Brother,  the  Lord  Jesus,  who  redeemed  us  from  sin. 
1  also  pray  the  great  Supreme  Ruler  our  Father  who 
is  in  heaven,  that  his  will  may  be  done  on  earth  as  it 
is  in  heaven.  That  thou  wouldst  look  down  and 
grant  this  request,  is  my  heart's  sincere  desire." 

In  this  extract  we  have  a  clear  recognition  of  the 
guilt  of  sin,  the  duty  of  repentance,  the  atonement  of 
Jesus  Christ,  the  need  of  a  new  heart,  and  the  work 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  renewing  and  purifying  the  soul 
for  heaven. 

There  is,  however,  reason  to  believe  that  Tai-ping- 
wong  has  died  ;  otherwise  it  is  difficult  to  account  for 
the  fact,  that  this  revolution  has,  for  the  present  at 
least,  not  only  ceased  to  advance,  but  has  retrograded, 
for  no  other  adequate  cause,  so  far  as  known.  Even 
if  it  should  be  entirely  suppressed,  yet  much  that  it 
has  circulated  is  the  truth  of  God,  and  though  it  be 
now  for  a  time  mournfully  perverted  or  overlaid  with 
grievous  mistakes,  I  think  the  time  must  come  when 
it  shall  spring  forth  in  all  its  innate  power  and 
beauty,  shake  off  the  errors  that  have  cumbered  it, 
and,  as  if  in  revenge  for  its  tortured  and  retarded 
progress,  shall  march  on  with  proportionately  accele- 
rated step,  hastening  to  the  conquest  of  the  empire, 
and  leading  its  teeming  millions  in  their  right  minds 
to  the  feet  of  Jesus. 


CIIAPTEE    XXIX. 

A   TYFOON THE   HILLS CAPTURE   OF   SHANGHAI 

INCIDENTS. 

A  Tyfoon — Destruction  of  Property  and  Life — One  of  the  Sufferers 
— A  Trip  to  "  the  Hills  7' — Companions — Employment — "  Seven 
Pearls  " — "  Four  Streams  " — Hills — Temples— Pagodas — Groves — 
Flowers  and  Shrubbery — A  Mausoleum — A  Leaning  Tower — Fall 
of  Shanghai — Bands  of  Outlaws — Murder  of  the  Mayor — Distress 
and  Alarm — Visit  to  the  Bandit  Chief — He  accepts  and  makes  pub- 
lic a  Proclamation  of  Tai-ping-wong  against  Idolatry — Adventure 
with  Robbers — A  Brave  Army. 

On  the  night  of  Sunday,  August  the  28th,  we  had 
one  of  those  terrific  tornadoes,  common  on  this  coast, 
in  which  so  many  vessels  and  lives  are  lost  every  year. 
It  is  here  called  a  tyfoon,  or  more  correctly,  tai-foong 
— "  great  wind."  It  began  in  the  east,  and  veered 
around  northwardly  to  the  west,  where  it  terminated. 
It  continued  for  about  ten  hours,  blowing  a  perfect 
hurricane  all  this  time.  The  windows,  blinds,  roofs 
and  eave-troughs  destroyed  or  injured  in  the  foreign 
portion  of  the  town,  are  not  a  few.  A  master  of  a 
ship,  who,  with  his  wife,  was  living  here  on  shore, 
said  to  her  during  the  gale,  "  Oh  that  we  were  only  at 
sea  now  in  this  wind,  with  everything  '  snug'  on  the 
ship,  how  safe  we  should  be.  But  here  we  are  on 
shore,  expecting  every  minute  the  house  to  blow 
down  on  our  heads  !     I  wish  I  had  a  rope  made  fast 


A   TYFOON.  873 

to  the  top  of  the  chimney,  I'd  pull  it  over,  and  then 
we  could  be  sure  which  way  it  would  fall,  and  could 
get  out  of  the  way." 

The  destruction  on  the  river  wras  frightful  to  relate, 
much  more  so  to  behold.  It  is  estimated  that  a  hun- 
dred small  boats  were  swamped  and  sunk,  and  some 
two  or  three  hundred  lives  lost,  most  of  the  boats 
being  occupied  by  families.  A  day  or  two  after,  I 
went  along  the  bank  of  the  river  to  see  if  there  was 
any  destitute  family  to  whom  I  could  give  a  boat 
that  we  have  had  for  some  years.  I  soon  came  upon 
a  family  consisting  of  a  man,  his  wife,  and  two  little 
children,  wTho  had  been  wrecked  and  lost  their  boat. 
The  poor  man,  bursting  into  tears,  told  me  one  of 
their  children  was  drowrned.  He  had  saved  nothing 
but  an  oar,  one  or  two  planks,  and  some  other  arti- 
cles of  little  value.  They  were  living  under  a  shelter 
formed  by  a  few  mats,  placed  against  a  high  bamboo 
fence.  I  gave  him  some  "  cash  "  for  his  wife  and 
children,  and  requested  him  to  follow  me,  without 
telling  him  for  wrhat  purpose.  Leading  the  way  for 
a  mile  and  a  half,  I  brought  him  to  our  boat,  and 
pointing  to  it,  asked  him  if  he  would  like  to  have  it. 
His  face  fairly  shone  as  he  replied  in  the  affirmative. 
I  told  him  it  was  his.  The  poor  fellow  dropped  upon 
his  knees,  his  eyes  filled  with  tears,  and  he  bowed 
his  head  to  the  ground.  Immediately  I  lifted  him 
up,  and  told  him  he  must  kneel  to  the  true  God  and 
offer  his  thanks,  but  not  to  me.  Still  so  full  was  his 
heart  with  joy  and  gratitude,  that  he  kneeled  to  thank 
me  several  times  after,  which  I  prevented  each  time, 
as  soon  as  possible.  The  boat  is  probably  much  lar- 
ger and  better  than  the  one  he  lost,  and  I  hope  that 


374  FIVE   YEARS   IN   CHINA. 

before  this  time,  his  little  family  are  comfortably  set- 
tled in  it.  But  that  will  not  heal  the  wound  of  their 
hearts,  bleeding  for  their  drowned  little  boy.  The 
kindly  hand  of  time  may,  however,  heal  even  that ; 
but  the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ  would  do  it  much 
more  sweetly  and  surely.  Oh  that  they  had  its  blessed 
consolations. 

On  Tuesday,  the  fifth  of  September,  my  colleague, 
Rev.  Mr.  Cunnyngham,  and  his  wife,  together  with 
Mrs.  E.  M.  Yates,  the  wife  of  one  of  our  nearest 
and  best  neighbors,  Eev.  M.  T.  Yates,  of  the  Southern 
Baptist  Board,  and  their  little  daughter  Annie,  with 
myself,  set  out  in  a  native  boat  on  the  Yang-king- 
pang,  for  a  trip  to  "The  Hills,"  of  which  there  are  a 
half  dozen,  forming  a  beautiful  cluster  as  they  rise 
from  the  perfectly  level  plain.  They  are  the  only 
elevations  of  the  kind,  for  many  miles  around,  and 
appear  the  more  attractive  from  contrast  with  the  low, 
flat  surrounding  country.  Being  but  about  thirty 
miles  west  from  Shanghai,  they  are  a  favorite  resort 
for  the  resident  foreigners,  who  make  frequent  excur- 
sions to  them  in  boats,  for  recreation.  They  consti- 
tuted too,  at  "that  time,  by  special  arrangement  wTith  the 
local  authorities,  the  furthest  point  to  which  we  "  out- 
siders "  were  permitted  to  penetrate  into  the  "inner 
kingdom,"  and  remain  unmolested  for  a  few  weeks. 
Of  our  party,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cunnyngham,  by  their 
many  kind  and  excellent  traits  of  character,  had  for 
nearly  a  year,  brightened  my  home,  that  had  been 
made  so  desolate  by  the  departure  of  my  wife  and 
children  for  the  United  States,  just  nineteen  months 
before.  Mrs.  Yates  is  an  estimable  lady,  whose  quiet 
and  unostentatious  labors  amons:  the  women  and  chil- 


THE   HILLS.  375 

dren  of  her  neighborhood,  together  with  her  many 
amiable  and  intellectual  qualities,  render  her  a  model 
female  missionary — needed  a  respite  from  her  cares, 
in  order  to  recruit  her  strength.  Little  Annie,  too, 
who  was  far  from  being  well,  soon  gained  strength 
and  spirit,  trotting  by  my  side  as  I  led  her  over  the 
"  Hills  "  in  my  daily  excursions,  when  the  rain  did 
not  prevent,  for  preaching,  distributing  tracts,  and 
dispensing  remedies  for  the  diseases  of  the  outer  man, 
among  the  villages  and  hamlets,  that  so  thickly  dot 
this  wide-spread,  fertile  plain.  It  soon  became  noised 
abroad  that  I  had  medicines,  and  the  people  came  to 
our  residence — a  native  house  bought  and  fitted  up 
in  a  comfortable  manner  by  Edward  Cunningham, 
Esq.,  the  American  vice-consul  at  Shanghai,  who 
kindly  gave  us  permission  to  occupy  it.  The  num- 
ber of  patients  that  daily  flocked  to  the  place,  was  as 
great  as  could  be  conveniently  attended  to,  and  dur- 
ing the  ten  days  of  our  sojourn,  many  were  entirely 
cured  of  their  maladies. 

On  our  way  to  the  hills,  we  passed  the  small  village 
of  Chih-pau — "  Seven  Pearls " — on  the  banks  of 
the  canal,  twelve  miles  from  Shanghai,  and  then 
eight  miles  further,  the  town  of  Sz-king — "  Four 
Streams."  Here  are  two  of  those  finely-arched,  high 
bridges,  of  nicely  hewn  granite,  that  we  have  occa- 
sion to  notice  so  often  in  our  excursions  into  the  in- 
terior of  this  wonderful  country. 

On  the  sides,  and  crowning  the  summits  of  most  of 
these  hills,  are  temples  and  pagodas — some  in  ruins, 
and  others  preserved  in  a  condition  of  great  costli- 
ness and  even  beauty,  especially  in  the  shrubbery 
and  flowers  that  are  cultivated  with  great  care  within 


376  FIVE   TEAKS   IN   CHINA. 

their  high  brick-wall  inclosures.  On  the  one  most 
visited,  Sung-shan,  there  is  a  series  of  temples,  ex- 
tending from  the  landing-place,  which  is  laid  with 
large,  smoothly-hewn  and  well-fitted  blocks  of  stone, 
on  the  side  of  the  canal,  nearly  to  the  top  of  the  hill, 
and  you  ascend  from  one  to  another,  through  five  in 
succession,  by  stone  stairways  of  elaborate  and  expen- 
sive construction.  These  temples  are  highly  ornate, 
and  filled  with  heavily-gilded  and  gaudily-painted 
idols  of  manifold  names,  sizes,  and  prerogatives.  They 
are  much  frequented  by  the  inhabitants  of  the  sur- 
rounding region,  and  some  come  from  afar  to  worship 
at  these  celebrated  shrines. 

Near  the  summit  of  another,  called  Sau-hiang  shan 
— "  Burn-incense-hill  " — is  a  leaning  pagoda,  seven 
stories  high,  in  quite  a  dilapidated  condition,  and 
said  to  be  five  hundred  years  old.  Its  inclination  is 
fully  equal  to  that  of  the  renowned  "  leaning  tower 
at  Pisa,"  to  which  it  instantly  carries  the  mind  of 
every  one  visiting  it,  who  has  either  seen  that,  or  a 
representation  of  it,  commonly  found  in  the  school 
geographies.  This  one  must  have  been  thrown  from 
its  vertical  position  by  some  terrestrial:  convulsion, 
similar  to  the  shocks  of  earthquakes  so  comparatively 
frequent  in  this  part  of  the  world. 

Still  another  of  these  beautful  hills  is  occupied  as 
the  mausoleum  of  a  distinguished  mandarin  of  the 
olden  time,  and  the  spacious  grounds  and  groves  of 
large  trees  on  its  side  contain  many  figures  of  dogs, 
cats,  goats,  horses  saddled  and  bridled,  and  colossal 
priests  sculptured  in  stone.  Most  of  these  are 
arranged  in  pairs,  one  facing  the  other  on  each  side 
of  the  long,  ascending  stairway  of  wrought  stone,  which 


CAPTURE  OF   SHANGHAI.  377 

is  about  fourteen  feet  wide,  being  provided  with  a  stone 
balustrade  on  each  side,  and  has  successive  "land- 
ings "  at  convenient  distances  along  up  the  hill  till 
you  come  to  the  grave. 

On  our  return,  Sept.  17,  we  found  a  condition  of 
affairs  that  is  described  in  the  following  record : 

Shanghai  has  fallen,  not  into  the  hands  of  the 
Kwang-si  revolutionists,  but  has  been  very  uncere- 
moniously taken  possession  of  by  a  lawless,  irrespon- 
sible band  of  vagabonds,  composed  of  Rye  clans — 
two  of  Canton  men,  two  of  Fohkien  men,  and  one  of 
Ningpo  men.  Of  these  five,  each  has  its  respective 
leader,  and  they  all  rally  under  a  chief  named  JSien, 
who  is  a  Canton  man,  formerly  a  sugar  merchant 
here,  and  well  known  as  such  to  the  foreign  mer- 
chants. He  is  an  inveterate  opium-smoker,  and  from 
an  interview  with  him,  such  as  I  had,  one  would  not  sup- 
pose he  had  the  least  qualification  for  the  position  he 
occupies.  Being  the  head  or  president  of  one  of  the 
Canton  clubs  or  guilds,  at  the  time  of  the  outbreak, 
in  which  he  was  a  prominent  conspirator,  he  came 
rather  by  chance  to  hold  his  present  office.  A  secret 
combination,  known  as  the  "  Small  Sword  Society," 
has  been  known  to  exist  for  some  months  past,  com- 
posed of  Canton  and  Fohkien  men,  disaffected  to- 
ward the  government  in  general,  and  the  rulers  of 
this  city  in  particular.  They  have  long  threatened 
the  peace  of  the  city,  but  the  authorities  could  not  or 
dared  not  apprehend  them,  though  the  leaders  were 
known,  and  rewards  were  offered  for  their  capture. 

"Wednesday  morning,'  Sept.  7,-  was  the  day  ap- 
pointed for  the  customary  semi-annual  offering  of  a 
slain  ox,  pigs,  and  goats  to  the  sage  Confucius,  in  the 


378  FIVE  TEAKS   IN   CHINA. 

temple  erected  to  him  within  the  city.  This  always 
takes  place  about  daybreak,  and  all  the  city  officers 
are  expected  to  be  present.  Three  American  mis- 
sionaries were  there  to  witness  the  ceremonies.  After 
an  unusual  delay,  the  mandarins  being  expected  every 
moment,  the  report  came  that  there  was  an  insur- 
rection in  the  city.  All  rushed  from  the  temple,  and 
the  doors  were  closed.  The  band  of  miscreants  were 
met  in  the  streets  coming  from  the  mayor's  office, 
where,  as  he  attempted  to  remonstrate  with  them, 
they  had  killed  that  officer,  inflicting  twenty-seven 
wounds.  His  title  of  office  is  Chi-hien.  An  officer 
still  higher  in  rank,  called  the  Tau-tai,  also  resides 
here  for  convenience  of  transacting  business  with 
foreigners.  His  official  residence  is  properly  at  the 
city  of  Sung-Kiang,  about  thirty  miles  west  of  Shang- 
hai. He  is  a  native  of  Canton,  and  was  formerly  an 
extensive  tea  merchant  in  that  city.  By  the  wealth 
acquired  in  trade  he  was  enabled  to  purchase  the 
rank  of  mandarin,  and  was  finally  appointed  to  the 
office  he  held  till  that  morning,  when  the  rioters 
compelled  him  to  yield.  It  is  believed  the  soldiers 
composing  his  guard  were  leagued  with  the  con- 
spirators, as  they  only  made  a  mock  resistance,  firing 
their  guns  into  the  air.  His  life  was  spared  and  he 
was  put  under  guard,  but  contrived  in  the  afternoon 
of  the  same  day  to  escape  to  the  private  residence  of 
a  friend,  and  was  finally  assisted  by  two  foreigners  to 
leave  the  city  in  the  disguise  of  a  poor  laborer,  when 
he  was  afforded  a  refuge  and  protection  by  the 
American  consul. 

The  residences   of  the  two  above  named  officers 
were  immediately  robbed  of  everything  movable,  and 


CATTUEE   OF   SHANGHAI.  379 

some  things,  before  stationary,  were  made  movable 
for  the  purpose  of  being  moved.  For  instance,  win- 
dow and  door  casings  and  posts  were  torn  from  the 
walls  and  carried  off  for  firewood. 

The  usurpers,  with  surprising  promptness  and 
decision,  proclaimed  a  sort  of  martial  law,  ordering 
the  citizens  not  to  remove,  but  to  open  their  shops 
and  go  on  with  business  as  before ;  assuring  them  at 
the  same  time  of  protection  to  their  lives  and  pro- 
perty, and  proclaiming  instant  death  to  any  who 
should  be  found  plundering.  Several  were,  in  con- 
sequence, immediately  beheaded,  and  now  we  hear 
of  no  more  robberies. 

Notwithstanding  the  efforts  of  the  captors  to  the 
contrary,  nearly  one-half  of  the  inhabitants  have  fled 
from  the  city,  and  about  that  proportion  of  the  shops 
continue  closed.  Native  trade  in  the  city  is  mostly 
at  an  end,  and  many  who  were  dependent  upon  it 
for  their  daily  support,  must  suffer  indescribably. 
Foreigners  are  entirely  unmolested,  and  are  in  fact 
treated  with  more  deference  than  ever  before. 
Frightened  natives  often  come  to  us  for  protection, 
and  as  we  walk  through  the  streets,  we  are  beset  by 
anxious  faces  asking  our  opinions  of  the  present  state 
of  affairs. 

These  ruffians  claim  to  be  acting  with  the  know- 
ledge and  direction  of  Tai-ping-wong  at  Nanking,  but 
the  people  know  better.  I  induced  the  chief  here  to 
stick  up  a  proclamation  of  that  prince,  denouncing 
idolatry  and  enjoining  the  worship  of  the  "  True 
God."  It  is  printed  on  yellow  paper,  and  is  five 
feet  long  by  four  wide.  It  was  given  me  by  the 
commandant  of  the  patriot  garrison  at  Chin-Kiang, 


380  FIVE  YEAUS   IN   CHINA. 

and  now  hangs  on  a  large  board  at  the  office  gate  of 
this  upstart  chief,  here  at  Shanghai.  We  could  wish 
he  was  a  better  man,  but  if  we  can  get  the  doctrine 
of  but  one  true  God  before  the  people,  as  set  forth  in 
this  proclamation,  our  object  is  in  part  attained. 

This  emeute  is  so  premature,  and  is  in  such  miser- 
ably imcompetent  and  unprincipled  hands,  that  it  is 
universally  deprecated.  Neither  the  leaders  nor 
their  followers — amounting  to  several  thousands — 
seem  to  have  any  knowledge  of  the  principles  and 
doctrines  of  Tai-ping-wong,  for  they  both  smoke 
opium  and  worship  idols  without  restraint.  The 
sooner,  therefore,  we  can  disseminate  the  views  and 
injunctions  of  the  patriot  chief  among  them  the 
better ;  and  having  now  acknowledged  his  authority, 
by  posting  up  this  proclamation,  and  raising  his  flag 
upon  the  walls  of  the  city,  they  will  be  compelled  to 
comply  with  and  execute  his  orders  when  they  shall 
have  been  received. 

Since  the  disturbance  in  the  city,  our  congrega- 
gations  have  been  larger  and  more  attentive  than 
before.  The  hand  of  the  Lord  is  certainly  in  these 
commotions,  and  we  cannot  but  believe  He  will  bring 
incalculable  good  out  of  these  present  evils. 

One  morning,  while  we  were  at  breakfast,  our  ser- 
vants rushed  into  the  room  saying  that  six  Fohkien 
men,  from  the  city,  were  plundering  a  boat  that  was 
lying  at  the  bank,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  creek 
from  our  house.  I  went  out  and  called  to  them  to 
desist.  They  paid  no  regard  to  me  till  I  began  to 
pelt  them  with  brickbats,  when  the  whole  six,  armed 
as  they  were,  scampered  off,  and  ran  across  the 
bridge  at  the  corner  of  our  lot.    To  reach  the  city, 


INCIDENTS.  3S1 

they  must  needs  pass  directly  by  our  gate.  So  I 
hastened  through  my  study,  where  I  seized  an  un- 
loaded pistol,  and  rushing  out  reached  the  gate  at  the 
same  moment  with  the  robbers.  I  pointed  the  pistol 
at  them,  and  ordered  them  to  stop.  Four  of  them 
escaped,  but  the  two  hindmost  obeyed.  One  of  them 
raised  his  sword  to  strike  me,  but  I  held  the  pistol  to 
his  breast  and  demanded  his  weapon,  and  did  the 
same  to  the  other.  They  finally,  after  much  parley- 
ing, gave  them  up  with  great  reluctance.  I  also  took 
from  them  their  long,  red  silk  sashes,  and  a  small 
yellow  flag  which  the  villains  carried,  pretending 
that  they  were  robbing  under  authority.  I  then  gave 
them  some  wholesome  admonitions  and  let  them  go. 
Anticipating  an  attack  from  a  larger  force  in  conse- 
quence of  this  indignity,  I  took  the  swords,  sashes 
and  flag,  to  the  United  States  acting  consul  (Mr. 
Cunningham),  narrated  the  occurrence,  and  asked  for 
some  protection  for  our  premises.  He  sent  us  a 
guard  of  marines  from  the  sloop-of-war  Saratoga, 
which  was  then  in  the  harbor ;  but  the  fellows 
showed  themselves  no  more  for  two  days.  The  offi- 
cer in  command  of  the  marines,  had  received  orders 
to  allow  no  armed  persons  to  cross  the  bridge.  No 
attempt  having  been  made,  the  guard  on  the  third 
day  was  reduced  to  two  men.  On  that  afternoon  the 
rebel  forces  issued  from  the  north  gate  of  the  city,  in 
number  apparently  not  less  than  two  thousand,  and 
were  advancing  toward  our  dwelling.  I  intimated 
to  them,  by  signs,  that  they  must  come  no  nearer ; 
and,  at  the  same  time,  called  out  my  two  marines, 
and  stationed  them  side  by  side,  with  fixed  bayonets, 
on  the  narrow  path.     The  motley  multitude,   with 


382  FIVE   TEAKS    IN   CHINA. 

flags  and  martial  music,  came  on,  also  in  double  file, 
to  within  about  two  hundred  yards,  and  came  to  a 
halt,  while  the  leaders  advanced  a  few  rods  in  front 
and  said  they  only  wished  to  cross  the  bridge  on 
their  way  to  a  village  two  miles  distant.  I  informed 
them  that  our  orders  were  to  allow  no  armed  body  to 
cross  that  bridge,  and  we  intended  to  carry  them  out. 
So,  after  much  palaver,  they  turned  off  and  marched 
around  another  way,  by  a  route  a  mile  or  two  further, 
and,  after  plundering  and  burning  the  unfortunate 
village,  returned  after  dark  with  torches  and  lanterns 
to  the  city. 


CH4PTEE  XXX. 

THE   VOYAGE   HOMEWARD. 

Cause  of  leaving  China — Departure  in  the  "  Torrent " — Capt.  Copp 
— A  Fine  Run — A  Terrible  Tyfoon — Sea-sickness — Loss  of  my 
Chinese  dress — Damages  to  the  Ship — A  Fellow-Passenger — Time 
for  Reading — Sight  of  Islands  —  The  Anambas — 'Splendid  Sun- 
sets—Crossing the  Equator — The  "Doldrums" — Winged  Visitors 
— Reaching  Java  —  Duties  of  Ship-Surgeon — Our  Sable  Cook — 
— Anjer — Strait  of  Sunda — Boats  with  Supplies — Turtles — "  Mouse 
Deer  " — Tedious  Days — Storms — Calms — The  Albatross — Porpoises 
— Whales — Sharks — Coast  of  Africa — Cape  of  Good  Hope — Preach- 
ing on  Ship-board — Christmas-day — Sabbaths  at  Sea — Two  Sum- 
mers in  One  Year — New  Appearance  of  the  Heavens — The  "  Ma- 
gellan Clouds  "—The  "  Southern  Cross." 

Having  learned  that  the  health  of  my  wife  was  but 
little,  if  at  all  improved,  and  that  in  its  present  state 
a  return  to  China  would  be  extremely  hazardous,  the 
unanimous  opinion  of  my  fellow-laborers,  as  well  as 
my  own  judgment,  decided  that  it  was  my  duty  to 
rejoin  my  family.  The  most  favorable  opportunity, 
both  with  reference  to  expense  and  comfort,  as  well 
as  dispatch,  that  offered  at  the  time,  was  by  the 
American  ship  Torrent,  Capt.  Copp,  bound  for  New 
York,  via  London.  So,  having  with  a  sad  heart  bid 
adieu  to  my  many  friends,  both  native  and  foreign, 
on  Monday,  the  third  day  of  October,  we  left  the 
mouth  of  the  river  Hwang-pu,  at  "Woosung,  where 
we  had  first  dropped  anchor,  five  years  and  five  days 


3S4:  FIVE   YEARS   IN   CHINA. 

before.  In  a  day  or  two  I  became  quite  sea-sick,  and 
the  kind  captain  "  rigged"  me  up  a  nice,  comfortable 
cot  in  the  large  airy  cabin,  for  my  state-room  was 
rather  small  and  ill- ventilated.  During  the  first 
week  we  made  a  splendid  run  of  over  two  hundred 
miles  a  day ;  but,  on  the  morning  of  the  first  Sunday 
out,  the  wind  having  increased  to  a  tyfoon,  carried 
away  our  main-topsail  yard,  split  the  foresail,  and 
tore  the  jib  to  ribbons.  Everything  on  the  ship  not 
very  strongly  secured,  began  to  "  fetch  away,"  i.  e., 
get  loose  and  tumble  about.  On  deck,  our  two  six- 
pounders,  the  hen-coops  and  hog-pens,  and  below, 
some  jars  of  oil  and  lard,  broke  loose  from  their  fast- 
enings in  the  gangway,  near  the  cabin  door,  and  de- 
luged the  cabin  generally,  and  my  state-room  in 
particular,  with  the  lubricating  compound.  Sick  as 
I  was,  it  made  me  laugh  in  spite  of  myself,  to  see 
our  steward — a  good-natured,  intelligent,  and  enter- 
prising Bohemian — slide  on  all  fours,  and  thump 
from  side  to  side  of  the  cabin,  with  the  rolling  of  the 
ship,  in  his  attempts  to  walk  on  the  unctuous  floor. 
My  Chinese  costume,  which  I  had  worn  on  my  trip 
to  Nanking,  and  which  was  packed  in  a  curious 
native  travelling-basket,  was  lost  overboard  by  a 
sailor  who  was  conveying  it  across  the  deck,  from  a 
part  of  the  ship  where  it  was  getting  wet,  to  put  it 
in  a  dry  place.  The  vessel  gave  a  heavy  lurch  at  the 
moment,  and  he  was  obliged  to  let  go  the  basket  and 
seize  hold  of  the  rigging,  to  save  himself  from  falling 
overboard.  The  storm  ceased  at  last,  though  while  it 
continued  the  captain  said  "  it  blew  great  guns,"  and 
that  during  a  sea-faring  life  of  twenty-three  years,  he 
had  never  before  experienced  its  equal.     We  had  to 


THE   VOYAGE   HOMEWARD.  385 

"  lay  to  "  one  day  to  repair  damages,  and  then  pro- 
ceeded on  our  voyage  as  rapidly  as  the  supervening 
calms,  the  light  winds,  headwinds,  and  opposing 
currents  would  allow.  Pleasant  weather  came  after 
awhile,  and  with  it  recovery  from  sea-sickness.  Then, 
besides  those  passed  in  conversation  with  the  excel- 
lent captain,  and  my  only  fellow-passenger,  Mr. 
Albert  Larned,  whom  I  found  a  very  agreeable  and 
well-informed  gentleman,  I  spent  many  hours  of  each 
day  in  delightful  and  profitable  companionship  with 
the  thoughts,  words  and  deeds  of  the  great  and 
good  of  other  times,  and  the  present.  The  fascinat- 
ing pages  of  Macaulay,  and  the  equally  interesting 
productions  of  Chalmers,  were  among  those  that 
charmed  me  most.  These  days  of  sequestered  soli- 
tude at  sea  were  golden  links  in  the  chain  of  my 
existence,  and  I  endeavored  to  make  each  one  bring 
its  full  measure  of  improvement  to  my  mind  and 
heart ;  for  such  an  opportunity  for  miscellaneous  read- 
ing and  study  had  not  been  mine  for  years. 

Oct.  26. — This  morning  we  saw  the  first  land  since 
we  left  the  mouth  of  the  Yang-tsz-kiang.  It  is  a 
cluster  of  small  islands  in  about  latitude  3°  north  of 
the  equator,  called  the  Anambas.  They  were  quite 
plainly  visible  about  twenty  miles  to  the  westward, 
and  sufficiently  distinct  to  render  them  agreeable 
objects  for  varying  the  monotony  of  the  &?#-scape,  if 
nothing  more.  How  often  one  longs  to  see  the  dis- 
tant rim  of  this  vast  azure  dome  rest  on  the  green 
earth  once  more,  instead  of  always  on  the  blue  and 
boundless  sea.  Now  and  then  a  glorious  evening 
scene,  clouds  of  crimson  and  gold  hung  their  gorge- 
ous drapery  around  the  sun  as  he  sunk  to  rest ;  and 

17 


nVE   TEAKS   IN   CHINA. 

after  tie  had  disappeared  they  changed  to  a  sable 
hue,  as  if  mourning  at  his  departure.  But  then  the 
sweet  star  of  evening  soon  shone  out,  it  seemed  with 
unwonted  brightness,  as  if  striving  her  utmost  to 
compensate  for  the  absence  of  the  sun  himself.  No 
envy  nor  jealousy  with  her.  Although  totally  ob- 
scured in  his  superior  brilliancy  by  day,  she  still 
patiently  bides  her  time  till  night,  knowing  that  then 
her  modest  worth  will  be  fully  appreciated ;  and  so 
contented,  she  keeps  on  cheerily  her  merry  shining. 
We  are  now  in  what  sailors  call  the  "  doldrums  " — a 
term  they  have  applied  to  the  light,  variable,  baffling 
airs  and  calms  in  the  region  of  the  equator. 

I  was  below  in  my  room  during  the  afternoon  in 
which  we  crossed  the  equator,  and  when  the  steward 
came  down  and  informed  me  of  the  fact,  I  asked  him 
if  he  saw  it.  "No,  sir,"  said  he,  "  but  I  felt  the  ship 
jolt  as  she  went  over  it  I" 

Just  after  the  tyfoon,  about  twenty  little  spar- 
rows and  swallows,  having  been  blown  far  off  from 
shore  during  the  gale,  took  refuge  on  our  ship.  They 
soon  became  quite  tame,  and  were  great  pets  with 
all  on  board  ;  inasmuch  as  they  added  utility  to  their 
beauty,  for  they  would  fly,  hop,  and  run,  about  the 
decks,  into  the  galley,  i.  e.,  the  ship's  kitchen,  and 
even  into  the  forecastle,  most  industriously  catching 
cockroaches,  with  which  troublesome  insects  vessels 
are  generally  infested,  and  the  "Torrent"  was  far 
from  being  an  exception.  But  alas  !  our  pretty  little 
exiles  were  not  destined  long  to  enjoy  their  sports, 
nor  we  their  company;  for  four  villainous  hawks 
had  also  come  and  perched  themselves  high  up  in  the 
rigging,  from  which  they  would  now  and  then  pounce 


THE   VOYAGE   HOMEWARD.  387 

down  and  seize  our  poor  little  birds.  My  fellow-pas- 
senger, Mr.  Larned,  with  a  musket,  declared  war  to 
the  muzzle,  against  the  invaders,  and  finally  killed 
all  the  hawks,  but  not  until  the  last  one  had  our  only 
remaining  sparrow  in  his  murderous  talons. 

We  were  thirty-six  long  and  wearisome  days  in 
reaching  the  island  of  Java ;  and  yet,  after  all,  Time 
flew  swiftly  on,  while  there  was  an  effort  each  day  to 
pluck  a  feather  from  his  wing,  with  which  to  trace 
some  lines  of  permanent  and  real  good  on  the  tablet 
of  my  own  individual  history.  Here  came  another 
of  those  beautiful  evenings.  The  sun  had  already 
set,  but  in  departing  had  left  his  golden  footprints  on 
the  sky,  and  was  lavishing  his  brightest  smiles  on  the 
clouds  that  hung  lingering  around  his  receding  path- 
way. 

The  monotony  of  our  daily  routine  was  frequently 
varied  by  medical  attention  to  the  crew.  Pulling 
teeth,  lancing  boils,  applying  and  dressing  blisters, 
administering  pills,  powders,  mixtures,  and  solutions, 
formed  a  part  of  my  duties  on  shipboard.  One  of 
my  patients  was  a  sailor  named  Lepper,  an  Irishman, 
from  Quebec.  We  read  of  lepers  white  as  snow. 
He  was  not  one  of  that  sort.  It  would  be  difficult  to 
determine  what  color  he  would  be  should  he  ever 
become  clean,  but  he  was  anything  else  than  white 
then. 

Our  cook  also,  was  a  curiosity  of  fossilized  filth. 
He  was  about  the  dirtiest,  greasiest,  and  most  slovenly 
old  negro  you  ever  saw.  I  espied  him  one  day 
standing  at  the  u  windward  "  door  of  the  "  galley," 
carding  his  ebony  fleece  with  a  right  good  will,  and 
accompanying  each  pull  of  the  card  with  a  display 


388  FIVE   YEARS   IN   CHINA.  . 

of  his  entire  stock  of  ivory.  It  was  therefore  no 
matter  of  surprise  to  find  the  mess,  called  a  stew 
(that  was  on  the  table  for  dinner  that  day),  embel- 
lished with  curls. 

As  the  native  boats  brought  off  to  us  a  sufficient 
supply  of  fresh  provisions  and  fruits,  so  soon  as  we 
came  in  sight  of  Anjer,  we  passed  on  through  the 
Straits  of  Sunda  without  anchoring.  Among  our 
purchases  were  two  enormous  turtles,  each  nearly  as 
large  as  a  barrel,  and  for  both,  the  Malay  bringing 
them  in  his  canoe,  demanded  only  a  dollar  and  a 
half.  We  bought  of  another  a  most  beautiful  and 
remarkable  little  animal  called  a  "mouse  deer." 
It  was  a  perfectly  formed  deer,  had  branching  horns, 
smooth,  glossy  hair,  slender  legs,  and  was  of  the 
same  color  with  the  deer  of  our  forests ;  but  of  the 
most  wonderfully  diminutive  size,  being  only  about 
six  inches  in  height  and  ten  in  length.  It  was  very 
active,  quite  tame,  and  seemed  to  have  attained  its 
full  growth,  but  it  died  at  sea  in  a  few  weeks. 

The  magnificent  islands  of  Java  and  Sumatra  had 
lifted  their  gorgeous  mouutains  on  either  hand,  luxu- 
riant with  vegetation  of  every  varied  hue,  as  they  lay 
basking  in  the  mellow  glories  of  eternal  summer, 
and  had,  with  the  thousand  other  lesser  isles  that 
slumber,  many  of  them  in  unbroken  solitude,  upon 
the  wavy  bosom  of  those  oriental  seas,  faded  from 
our  straining  vision  in  the  eastern  horizon.  Then  for 
long  tedious  weeks  "  morn  came  and  went,  and  came 
and  went,  and  came,  and  brought  no  "land.  Our 
vessel  was  the  only  object  visible  on  the  universe 
of  waters,  save  when,  occasionally,  some  lonely  voy- 
ager like  ourselves,  would  come  in  sight  for  a  few 


THE   VOYAGE   HOMEWARD.  389 

Lours,  and  then  disappear  beneath  the  line  where  the 
ocean  met  the  skies.  Now,  a  storm  transforms  the 
surface  of  the  deep  into  valleys,  and  hills  crested 
with  foam,  continually  changing  places  and  chasing 
each  other  in  wildest  fury.  Our  close-reefed  topsails 
swell  almost  to  bursting;  the  wind  whistles  and 
shrieks  fearfully  through  the  rigging ;  the  spray  fills 
the  air  like  rain  ;  ever  and  anon  a  huge  mountain- 
wave  comes  rolling,  rushing  on  toward  us,  threaten- 
ing to  ingulf  us  in  its  open  mouth ;  it  breaks  over 
the  vessel,  seeming,  for  the  moment,  to  bury  it  be- 
yond recovery  ;  all  on  deck  are  drenched  in  brine ; 
but  our  little  bark  rises  again,  shakes  herself  from  the 
foam,  and  bravely  plunges  her  head  into  another,  and 
yet  another  angry  surge.  You  would  think,  from  the 
creaking  timbers  of  the  laboring  ship,  that  she  was 
immediately  going  to  pieces,  or  that,  lying  nearly  on 
her  side,  she  would  never  get  upright  again.  But 
your  fears  are  all  groundless.  She  is  accustomed  to 
these  scenes,  and  really  seems,  as  if  animate,  to  exult 
in  them,  for 

"  She  walks  the  waters  like  a  thing  of  life." 

A  calm  supervenes  and  you  are  surprised  that  the 
ocean  can  ever  become  so  perfectly  smooth.  A  sea 
of  glass  is  no  overwrought  comparison.  The  ship 
lies  apparently  motionless.  Not  even  a  ripple  ruffles 
the  face  of  old  ocean  in  repose.  He  sleeps  right 
soundly  after  the  excitement  of  a  storm  has  passed 
away.  It  is  a  most  tiresome  thing,  a  calm  at  sea. 
Everybody  is  impatient  and  complaining.  In  some 
calms,  a  long,  heavy  ground-swell,  causes  the  idle  sails 
to  flap  against  the  masts  and  yards,  and  this  everlasting 


390  FIVE   YEARS   IN   CHINA. 

flap,  flap,,  flap,  is  the  most  disagreeable,  perhaps,  of 
all  the  sounds  you  hear  at  sea.  These  calms  are  most 
frequent  near  the  equator,  and  then  no  breath  of  air 
mitigates  the  scorching  heat  of  a  vertical  sun.  Oh 
for  a  breeze !  The  sailors  scratch  the  mast  and  whis- 
tle for  a  wind.  Sometimes  there  is  such  absolute  still- 
ness that,  as  Coleridge  says  in  the  "Ancient  Mariner," 
the  ship  looks 

"  Like  a  painted  ship 
Upon  a  painted  ocean." 

The  albatross,  a  magnificent  bird,  generally  white, 
wheels  about  the  vessel  in  its  pathway  of  airy  circles, 
on  such  delicately  poised  wing — so  still  while  moving 
— that  you  can  look  into  its  large,  mild,  beautiful 
eye,  as  it  sweeps  swiftly  past.  Occasionally,  shoals 
of  porpoises  dart  by,  or  go  tumbling,  puffing,  and 
blowing  in  their  watery  sports,  under  the  bows  of  the 
vessel ;  and  perchance,  now  and  then,  the  well-aimed 
harpoon,  hurled  by  the  brawny  arm  of  a  sailor, 
pierces  one  of  the  herd — you  may  say,  for  the  Chinese 
call  them  "  water-pigs  " — and  then  fresh  meat  graces 
your  bill  of  fare  for  a  day  or  two.  At  longer  inter- 
vals, a  monstrous  whale  comes  lumbering  clumsily 
along,  amazing  you  at  his  enormous  dimensions.  The 
spouting  of  one  reminded  me  of  the  sound  produced 
by  the  steam  of  a  large  engine.  One  or  two  hungry 
sharks  usually  follow  close  under  the  stern  of  the 
vessel,  to  feed  upon  the  refuse  of  meals  thrown  overT 
board.  You  may  sometimes  catch  one  by  a  large 
hook  baited  with  a  piece  of  pork  ;  and  when  dragged 
on  board,  the  sailors  plunge  their  knives  into  him 
with  so  much  animus,  that  you  do  not  require  to  be 


THE  VOYAGE   HOMEWARD.  391 

told,  a  sailor  hates  a  shark  with  a  perfect  hatred — 
and  not  without  good  reason,  when  so  many  have 
lost  limbs,  and  even  life,  by  the  voracious  jaws  of 
these  terrible  prowlers  in  the  deep. 

We  had  the  southern  coast  of  Africa  in  view  for 
several  days  before  we  doubled  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope.  We  saw  hills  on  hills  rising  in  the  distance, 
and  sometimes  smoke  ascending  from  the  intervening 
valleys.  By  a  little  effort  of  the  imagination,  the 
smoke  was  fancied  to  arise  from  Kaffir  villages 
burned  by  British  troops,  for  the  war  was  then  in 
progress. 

Dec.  27. — Our  voyage  so  far  has  been  much  longer 
than  we  anticipated,  owing  to  calms  and  headwinds, 
but  a  very  pleasant  one  in  other  respects,  for  the 
captain  is  not  only  kind  and  obliging  in  every  way, 
but  is  also,  apparently,  a  sincere  Christian.  I  have 
preached  to  the  sailors  assembled  in  the  cabin,  on 
every  Sabbath  since  we  sailed,  except  the  first  two, 
when  I  was  prevented  by  sea-sickness.  They  are 
always  very  attentive,  and  at  times,  appear  much 
interested.  Although  their  attendance  is  purely  vol- 
untary, nearly  every  man  in  the  ship  is  present.  Our 
singing  is  not  very  musical,  but  it  would  do  your 
heart  good,  to  hear  these  hardy  sons  of  the  ocean  do 
their  best  in  trying  to  follow  me  and  catch  the  tunes. 
Oh,  if  some  good  fruit  may  but  spring  up  from  the 
"bread"  thus  "cast  upon  the  waters"  I  shall  feel 
that  this  separation  from  my  own  chosen  and  beloved 
field,  has  not  been  entirely  in  vain.  Two  days  ago,  on 
Christmas  day,  we  doubled  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope, 
and,  as  it  was  Sunday,  the  subject  of  the  discourse, 
was  the  nativity  of  our  Saviour.     Our  Sabbaths  have 


392  FIVE   YEAES   IN   CHINA. 

been,  almost  without  exception,  bright  and  lovely 
days,  and  the  captain  allowing  no  work  to  be  done 
beyond  what  is  absolutely  necessary,  the  same  sweet, 
quiet,  hallowed  stillness  pervades  our  ship,  that  is  so 
observable  in  a  well-regulated  Christian  community 
on  shore.  And  it  is  right  pleasing  to  see  the  sailors 
sitting  about  the  decks  in  the  warm  sunshine,  all 
cleanly  clad,  reading  the  Bible  and  other  good  books, 
with  which  the  "Torrent's  Library  "  is  well  supplied. 
You  will  not  be  surprised  at  this  when  you  are  told 
that  the  principal  owner  of  the  ship  is  Captain  [Rich- 
ardson, of  New  York — President  of  the  American 
Seaman's  Friend  Society.  Captain  Copp  is  also  the 
owner  of  one-fourth  of  the  vessel.  Would  that  the 
same  interest  in  the  spiritual  and  mental  improve- 
ment of  the  sailors,  was  manifested  by  the  owners 
and  masters  of  every  vessel  sailing  from  the  ports  of 
the  United  States. 

How  strange  it  seems,  to  actually  have  two  sum- 
mers in  one  year.  Yet  so  it  was  with  us.  We  had 
just  passed  through  one,  when  we  left  Shanghai,  and 
now,  at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  thirty-four  degrees 
south  of  the  equator  is  another — for  here,  December, 
January  and  February  are  always  the  three  months 
of  summer. 

But  still  more  strange  does  it  seem,  to  look  above 
you  in  a  clear,  moonless  night,  and  miss  all  the  fami- 
liar constellations.  It  almost  makes  you  feel  as  if  you 
wasre  in  another  world.  Even  that  broad,  magnificent 
footlipath  of  the  Almighty — so  thronged  with  suns 
and  systems — the  "  milky  way"  — has  entirely  disap- 
peared ;  and  in  its  stead,  is  seen  a  tiny  cluster  of 
islets,  called  "  Magellan  clouds." 


THE   VOYAGE   HOMEWARD.  393 

I 

Nor  is  there  in  these  latitudes  any  "  polar  star,'' 
but  there  are  four  stars,  each  nearly  equidistant  from 
a  common  centre  around  which  they  are  seen  to 
revolve.  That  centre  is  the  South  Pole,  but  there  is 
no  one  star  at  the  very  point  to  show  its  position. 
Those  four  are  the  principal  stars  in  the  famous  con- 
stellation, called  the  "  Southern  Cross." 

Eleven  days  from  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  brought 
us  to  the  island  of  St.  Helena,  distant  about  eighteen 
hundred  miles — on  the  5th  of  January.  In  this  re- 
gion, the  southeast  trades  blow  with  such  invariable 
steadiness  and  moderation,  that  masters  of  vessels 
avail  themselves  of  the  opportunity  to  have  their 
ships  thoroughly  overhauled  and  repaired — masts 
and  yards  sent  down  and  replaced — and  the  rigging, 
that  has  become  slack  from  the  heavy  strains  upon  it, 
newly  tightened,  or  "  set  all  taut."  This  all  trans- 
pired on  the  "  Torrent,"  and  during  these  eleven  days 
we  were  sensible  of  but  little  more  motion  than  would 
be  perceived  in  a  house  on  land. 


17* 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

TWO    DAYS   AT    ST.    HELENA — PRISON    OF   THE    FIRST 
NAPOLEON. 

Appearance  of  the  Island  from  the  Sea — Batteries  and  Fortifications 
— "Ladder  Hill" — "  Pearce's  Revenge" — Jamestown — the  "Cas- 
tle " — Promenade— Moat— Lan ding-Place — The  Town — View  from 
the  Anchorage— "  The  Briars"— Ride  to  "  Longwood "—General 
Descriptions — Volcanic  Origin — Flowers,  Shrubbery,  and  Trees — 
Napoleon's  Tomb— Old  Sally— "  Vale  of  Arno  "—Residence  of 
Napoleon  at  "Longwood" — His  Fishpond — "New  House"— Sandy 
Bay  Valley — "Plantation  House  "—Country  Church— Return  to 
Town — Rev.  Dr.  Bertram — Mission  Chapel — Second  Ride  into 
the  Country — "  Francis'  Plain  " — "  Rose  Bower  " — Astronomers — 
— "  Knollcombe  " — Mission  Cemetery — Return  to  Town — Sail  from 
the  Island. 

We  were  rapidly  approaching  St.  Helena ;  and 
snch  was  my  eagerness  to  catch  the  earliest  possible 
glimpse  of  this  remarkable  island,  that  you  need  not 
be  surprised  when  told  that  I  climbed  to  the  main- 
mast-head, and  sat  there  half  an  hour,  straining  my 
eyes  toward  the  direction  in  which  it  was  expected 
to  appear.  After  a  while  I  discovered  it  in  the  dim, 
hazy  distance,  lying  like  a  long,  low  cloud  in  the  far- 
off  horizon.  In  a  clear  day  it  is  visible  sixty 
miles. 

"We  always  create  in  our  minds  an  image  of  an 
object  of  which  we  have  heard  but  have  never 
seen.      And   it  is  scarcely  necessary  to  add  that 


TWO   DATS   AT   ST.    HELENA.  395 

our  imaginary  creation  is  often  very  unlike  the  real 
object.  So  it  was  with  mine.  Perhaps  I  had  not 
read  with  sufficient  care  such  descriptions  of  the 
island  as  are  occasionally  met  with  ;  but  having  been 
long  accustomed  to  the  terms,  "  The  Rock  of  St. 
Helena,"  "  a  solitary  rock  in  the  ocean,"  I  was  ex- 
pecting to  see  a  single  rock,  a  mile  or  two  in  extent, 
rising  from  the  ocean  to  a  great  height,  almost  per- 
pendicular on  all  sides,  and  nearly  level  on  the  top. 

It  is,  in  reality,  ten  and  a  half  miles  long,  six  and 
three-quarters  broad,  and  twenty-eight  in  circumfer- 
ence. As  it  gradually  becomes  more  and  more 
distinct,  its  outline,  seen  from  the  southeast — the 
direction  from  which  vessels  usually  approach  it — 
bears  a  striking  resemblance  to  a  human  figure,  lying 
on  the-back,  with  the  arms  folded  across  the  breast, 
and  a  cloth  thrown  over  the  whole  body.  Coming 
still  nearer,  you  see  its  surface  broken  into  hills  and 
valleys,  jagged  precipices,  ravines,  and  gorges.  The 
highest  point  on  the  island  is  called  "  Diana's  Peak," 
and  is  two  thousand  seven  hundred  feet  above  the 
level  of  the  sea.  In  many  places  the  rocks  rise  per- 
pendicularly from  the  ocean ;  in  others,  at  a  greater 
or  less  angle  of  inclination ;  and  in  others  still,  val- 
leys and  ravines  run  in  gentle  slopes  to  the  water's 
edge.  The  general  aspect  is  one  of  extreme  barren- 
ness, though  spots  of  verdure  are  seen  in  some  places, 
together  with  here  and  there  clumps  of  low,  thick 
trees,  mostly  stunted  pines.  Sailing  on  the  north- 
east, around  the  bases  of  two  very  high,  steep,  rug- 
ged, barren,  conical-shaped  hills,  the  first  called 
M  Sugar-Loaf,"  and  the  second,  further  on  and  higher, 
"  Flagstaff  Hill,"  whose  summits  form  the  feet  of  the 


396  FIVE    YEAES    IN    CHINA. 

figure — if  you  choose  to  keep  in  mind  the  idea  of 
likeness  to  a  prostrate  human  form — you  soon  come 
in  sight  of  batteries  and  fortifications,  built  of  heavy 
stone  masonry,  in  the  sides  and  on  the  projections  of 
the  precipitous  rocks,  evidently  at  an  immense  out- 
lay of  labor  and  expense.  Similar  ones  surmount  the 
tops  of  hills  and  beetling  cliffs,  guarding  the  entrance 
at  every  point  where  the  island  is  accessible  from  the 
sea.  Most  of  these  have  been  dismantled  since  death 
relieved  the  British  government  of  their  anxious  sen- 
tinelship  over  the  formidable  exile,  by  releasing  him 
from  his  captivity.  Butyou  still  see  here  and  there  a  big 
black  gun,  frowning  down  upon  you  from  its  rocky  nest, 
to  remind  you  that  the  British  lion  is  still  there,  and  is 
ready  to  roar  again  should  occasion  ever  require. 

Passing  on  opposite  the  mouth  of  a  ravine,  called 
"  Hupert's  Valley,"  and  around  the  projecting,  bluff 
of  "Rupert's  Hill,"  called  "  Munden's  Point,"  on  the 
top  of  which  is  a  little  fort,  little  Jamestown  begins 
to  appear,  nestling  in  a  deep  valley  or  gorge,  between 
two  high,  barren,  precipitous  hills — "  Rupert's  "  on 
the  left,  and  "  Ladder  Kill "  on  the  right.  The  lat- 
ter is  so  named  from  a  steep  flight  of  stairs  leading 
in  a  straight  line  eight  hundred  feet  from  the  town 
up  to  the  battery  and  signal-station  on  the  top.  It  is 
usually  ascended  by  an  admirable  but  very  circuit- 
ous carriage-road,  which  has  been  dug,  and  in  some 
places  blasted  in  the  side  of  the  hill,  at  a  vast  expen- 
diture of  time,  toil,  and  money.  A  well-built  stone 
wall,  on  the  down-hill  side  of  this  road,  renders  it 
perfectly  secure ;  but  it  is  overhung  at  one  or  two 
points  by  huge  masses  of  rock,  suspended  directly 
over  the  head  of  the  traveller,  causing  an  involun- 


TWO   DAYS   AT   ST.   HELENA.  397 

tary  shudder  as  he  looks  at  the  threatening  crags 
above  him.  A  British  officer,  named  Pearce,  for- 
merly resident  on  the  island,  is  said  never  to  have 
passed  this  spot  except  at  a  full  gallop,  for  he  had  a 
presentiment  that  one  of  these  rocks  would  some  day 
fall  and  crush  him.  Hence,  that  particular  pass  is 
called  "Pearce's  Revenge ;"  but  the  presentiment 
was  never  fulfilled. 

The  first  objects  that  attract  your  attention  on 
drawing  near  to  the  anchorage,  are  "The  Castle,"  as 
it  is  called,  near  the  water's  edge,  just  at  the  entrance 
of  Jamestown  Valley,  across  which  it  extends ;  and 
just  behind  it,  the  neat  little  stone  church,  with  its 
tapering  spire.  "  The  Castle  "  resembles  a  long,  low 
two-story  house,  and  you  would  never  think  of  call- 
ing it  a  castle,  unless  previously  informed  that  such 
was  its  name  and  character.  It  stands  fronting  the 
sea,  from  which  a  continual  surf  rolls  in,  and  breaks 
with  monotonous  music,  upon  the  pebbly  shores.  A 
solid  wall  of  hewn  stone,  some  ten  or  twelve  feet 
high,  forms  an  effectual  barrier  to  the  encroachments 
of  the  sea,  and  being  forty  or  fifty  feet  wide  on  the 
top,  also  affords  a  fine  road  and  promenade.  A  dry 
moat,  scientifically  constructed,  also  walled  up  on  both 
sides  with  hewn  stone,  to  about  the  same  height, 
separates  this  promenade  or  battery  from  a  similar 
space,  of  about  equal  width,  immediately  in  front  of 
the  Castle.  The  only  landing-place  is  a  flight  of  a 
half  dozen  stone  steps — on  which  Napoleon  first  trod 
on  his  arrival  at  the  island — at  the  left  extremity 
of  the  battery,  which  here  assumes  the  appearance 
and  character  of  a  long  wharf,  or,  in  oriental  par- 
lance, huncl)  which  conveys  the  idea  precisely.     You 


398  FIVE   TEAKS   IN   CHINA. 

walk  along  this  road,  with  high  perpendicular  rocks 
on  your  left,  and  the  stone  wall  facing  the  sea  on 
your  right.  Crossing  the  moat  on  a  wooden  draw- 
bridge, you  see  several  large  cannon,  with  pyramids 
of  ball,  and  of  canister,  chain,  and  grape-shot,  placed 
in  a  regular  row.  There  is  also  a  stove,  or  furnace, 
ever  near  at  hand,  for  heating  them  red-hot  when 
required.  There  are  also  mortars,  with  their  pyra- 
mids of  bomb-shells  close  by ;  and,  to  complete  the 
military  aspect  of  the  place,  a  sentinel,  with  his  red 
coat,  white  pantaloons,  sugar-loaf  cap,  and  brightly- 
polished  musket,  marches  back  and  forth  with  slow 
and  measured  pace. 

Entering  the  town  through  an  arched  gateway  in 
the  Castle,  which,  I  should  mention,  is  the  town  resi- 
dence of  the  governor  of  the  island,  you  first  find 
yourself  in  a  small  open  space,  about  sixty  yards 
square,  with  Episcopal  church  just  opposite  you.  On 
the  left  is  pointed  out  to  you  the  house  in  which 
Napoleon  passed  his  first  night  on  the  island.  By  a 
singular  coincidence,  the  same  house  had  been  occu- 
pied by  the  Duke  of  Wellington,  on  his  return  from 
India  several  years  before.  Here  the  square  begins  to 
contract  into  a  street,  which  gradually  becomes  nar- 
rower in  its  gentle  ascent  for  one  or  two  hundred  yards, 
[whenit  divides  into  two — one  running  on  each  side  of 
the  ravine,  which  extends  a  mile  or  more  inland.  The 
streets  are  narrow,  but  well  macadamized,  and  their 
sidewalks  are  all  laid  with  round  paving-stones.  The 
latter  are  seldom  walked  on,  except  during  wet  wea- 
ther, when  they  serve  to  keep  the  feet  from  the  mud ; 
at  other  times,  everybody  walks  in  the  middle  of  the 
street.  -The  buildings  are  of  stone,  and  generally  two 


TWO   DATS   AT   ST.   HELENA.  399 

stories  high,  very  neatly  stuccoed  with  plaster,  of 
various  shades,  from  white  to  dark-brown.  This  gives 
the  town  an  exceedingly  pretty  and  animated  appear- 
ance, to  which  all  the  prints  and  engravings  of  it  I 
have  ever  seen  fail  to  do  justice.  There  is  a  public 
garden  opening  out  of  the  square  on  the  left ;  not 
very  extensive,  as  nothing  in  Jamestown  can  be,  but 
quite  well  laid  out,  and  containing  a  fair  variety  of 
tropical  plants,  shrubbery,  and  trees.  There  are  also 
one  or  two  private  ones  of  considerable  beauty  at  the 
inner  extremity  of  the  town.  In  these  gardens,  I 
observed  as  most  prominent,  the  pomegranate,  the 
palm,  plantain,  banyan,  and  some  other  trees,  many 
of  which  seen  from  the  anchorage,  as  they  are  scat- 
tered about,  form  a  pleasing  contrast  with  the  pretty 
buildings  among  which  they  stand.  The  valley  in 
which  the  town  lies  is  but  five  or  six  hundred  yards 
in  width,  and  the  snug  stores  and  houses  are  crowded 
as  compactly  together  as  you  can  well  conceive ;  not 
less  so  than  the  most  densely  built  portions  of  our 
large  cities  in  the  United  States.  There  are  some 
very  nice  shops,  with  large  plate-glass  windows,  and 
well  stocked  with  every  variety  of  goods,  from  both 
hemispheres.  The  prices  of  everything  are  enormous, 
except  fish  and  water-cresses,  which  are  very  cheap. 
The  view  of  the  town  from  the  anchorage,  with  hills 
rising  on  each  side,  and  in  the  back-ground,  is  highly 
picturesque.  A  mile  and  a  half  distant,  and  about 
half  way  to  the  top  of  one  of  these  steep  hills,  is  a 
pretty  cottage  in  a  verdant  spot,  called  "  The  Briars." 
It  is  a  sweet  little  oasis,  amid  the  surrounding  rugged- 
ness  and  sterility,  and  was  occupied  by  Napoleon 
during  the  first  two  months  of  his  captivity,  while 


400  FIVE  YEARS   IN   CHINA. 

the  house  at  Long  wood  was  being  prepared  for  his 
reception.  On  the  morning  after  our  arrival  we  set 
out  on  horseback  to  visit  the  tomb  of  Napoleon,  in 
"  Sane  Yalley,"  three  miles  from  town  ;  and  Long- 
wood,  a  mile  and  three  quarters  further  on.  Your 
road  lies  for  some  distance  on  the  side  of  Rupert's 
Hill,  with  the  valley  of  Jamestown  far  beneath  you 
on  the  right.  Wherever  the  hills  are  very  steep,  the 
roads  cut  in  their  sides  are  ascended,  necessarily,  by 
a  very  zig-zag  course,  like  that  of  a  vessel  beating 
against  a  head  wind — if  you  are  enough  of  a  sailor  to 
know  what  that  is — consequently  you  have  to  "  tack 
ship "  very  often,  and  sometimes  ride  five  rods  to 
gain  one.  So,  on  you  go,  with  the  mulatto  boys  who 
act  as  guides  holding  to  the  horses'  tails,  which  are  a 
great  assistance  to  them  in  climbing  the  hills.  Hence 
these  boys  are  said  to  ride  on  the  horses'  tails !  And 
strange  to  say,  so  accustomed  are  the  docile  animals 
to  this  novel  mode  of  "  carrying  double,"  that  they 
seldom  think  of  kicking. 

The  island  is  evidently  of  volcanic  origin,  belong- 
ing probably  to  the  latter  ages  of  the  secondary,  or 
the  beginning  of  the  tertiary  periods.  There  is  every 
appearance  of  its  having  been  thrown  up  by  some 
upheaving  force,  operating  at  different  and  perhaps 
distant  times,  as  the  consecutive  strata  of  mud-stones, 
lava,  and  stratified  sands  and  marls,  distinctly  trace- 
able on  almost  every  hill,  clearly  indicate.  You  will 
see  at  some  places,  imbedded  in  the  scoriae,  large  cal- 
cined boulders,  made  up  of  concentric  laminae,  and 
appearing  as  if,  at  no  very  remote  period,  they  had 
been  formed  by  rapid  revolutions  in  the  fires  of  a 
volcano. 


TWO   DAYS   AT   ST.    HELENA.  401 

A  large  species  of  the  cactus,  or  prickly  pear,  with 
its  beautiful  red  flowers,  grows  wild,  in  rank  luxuri- 
ance, throughout  the  island.  So  also  does  the  aloe, 
with  its  thick,  narrow,  sharp-pointed  leaves,  six  feet 
long,  and  a  tall  stem  of  rich  yellow  flowers,  rising 
fifteen  feet  high  from  their  midst ;  the  furze,  the  scar- 
let geranium,  the  elegant,  pale  yellow,  yam  flower, 
and  many  other  blooming  plants,  all  of  which  may 
be  frequently  seen  composing  the  hedges  between 
the  adjacent  possessions  of  neighboring  landholders. 
The  principal  trees  that  you  see  are  the  cabbage  tree, 
the  banyan  (not  the  large  spreading  banyan  of  India), 
the  willow,  and  a  species  of  stunted  pine  ;  the  two 
latter  are  most  abundant,  and  in  many  places  form  a 
delightful  shade  over  your  road.  These  pines  are 
far  more  numerous  than  any  or  all  other  trees  on  the 
island,  and  may  sometimes  be  said  to  compose  quite 
a  forest.  In  those  situations  where  trees  are  exposed 
to  the  southeast  trade-winds,  they  all  have  a  uniform 
inclination  toward  the  northwest,  which  gives  them 
a  singular  appearance,  as  if  at  the  very  time  while 
you  are  looking  at  them  they  were  bending  before  a 
strong  gale,  though  the  wind  may  be  blowing  but  a 
moderate  breeze,  which  it  seldom  or  ever  exceeds. 

At  an  appointed  place,  we  find  waiting  for  us  Cap- 
tain Kennedy,  a  gentleman  to  whom  we  were  intro- 
duced the  day  before,  and  who  politely  offered  to 
accompany  us  in  our  ride  over  the  island.  He  was 
captain  of  a  company  of  artillery  during  the  whole 
captivity  of  Napoleon,  and  commanded  the  British 
guard  that  was  present  at  his  exhumation  by  the 
French  deputation  under  Prince  de  Joinville,  in  1840. 
We  could  not  have  been  more  fortunate  in  a  guide, 


402  FIVE   YEAKS  IN    CHINA. 

for  he  told  us  much  that  we  probably  could  have 
learned  from  no  other  source.  Soon  after  he  joined 
our  party,  we  came  to  the  "  Devil's  Punch-Bowl,"  a 
deep,  irregular  valley,  lined  with  rocks  and  lava,  but 
containing  no  green  thing.  Hiding  along  the  rim  of 
it  for  some  little  distance,  we  descended  on  the  oppo- 
site side  into  "  Sane  Valley,"  in  all  respects  a  perfect 
contrast  to  its  gloomy  neighbor.  Here,  in  a  sweet, 
quiet,  lovely  dale  was  the  tomb  of  Napoleon.  A  low, 
black  paling  incloses  a  few  square  rods  of  green- 
sward, in  the  middle  of  which  an  iron  railing  sur- 
rounds the  open  and  now  empty  grave  of  the  imperial 
prisoner.  It  is  covered  by  an  awning  in  the  form  of 
a  roof,  raised  about  three  feet  from  the  ground,  and 
is  shaded  by  two  willows  which  stand  a  few  feet  from 
the  head. 

What  a  world  of  images  rush  upon  your  mind  as 
you  stand  by  that  open  grave.  Lodi — Areola — the 
Pyramids  — Marengo  —  Austerlitz  —  Hohenlinden — 
Leipsic — yea,  and  fatal  Waterloo,  rise  before  your 
vision.  You  almost  see  the  serried  hosts,  the  brist- 
ling bayonets,  the  waving  plumes,  the  floating  banners, 
the  prancing  war-steeds.  Hear  the  roar  of  those 
cannon — listen  to  the  stirring  strains  of  martial  music 
— the  roll  of  drums — the  shrill,  soul-rousing  notes  of 
the  distant  bugle — all  drowning  alike  the  siiouts  of 
defiance,  the  exultations  of  victory,  and  the  shrieks 
of  agony  and  despair.  Look  at  that  impetuous 
onslaught !  see  that  magnificent  charge  of  Murat, 
with  his  irresistible  cavalry ;  and  Ney,  the  "  bravest 
of  the  brave !"  There  !  see  yonder  that  little  man — 
the  grand  master-genius — the  moving  spirit  of  all  this 
splendid  array,  of  this  sublimely  terrible  "  pomp  and 


PKISON   OF   THE   FIRST  NAPOLEON.  403 

circumstance  of  glorious  war."  The  pageant  van- 
ishes— the  vision  fades ;  and  here,  on  the  very  spot 
where  you  now  stand,  has  he  often  stood — a  lone, 
heart-broken  exile  ;  and  here  he  slept  the  sleep  that 
knows  no  waking.  Oh  !  ye  shadowy  phantoms  of 
earthly  grandeur  and  glory,  and  is  this  all  ye  have  to 
give  the  most  devoted  worshipper  that  ever  bowed  at 
your  shrine? 

You  would  fain  indulge  longer  in  this  train  of 
reflection,  but  the  clack  of  "  Old  Sally,"  the  old 
negro  woman  who  has  charge  of  the  place,  interrupts 
your  reverie.  She  met  us  at  the  gate  where  we  dis- 
mounted from  our  horses,  with,  "  Good  morning, 
gen'lemen;  walk  in,  and  see  de  tomb.  One-and- 
sixpence  a  head,  gen'lemen."  On  reaching  the  spot, 
we  found  a  flight  of  wooden  steps,  leading  down  into 
the  vault,  which  is  ten  feet  deep,  by  eight  long,  and 
four  wide.  "  Walk  down  into  de  tomb,  gen'lemen  ; 
de  fee  is  one-and-sixpence  a  head.  'Taint  for  myself; 
it's  for  de  folks  in  de  oder  house  down  yonder  :  dey 
rents  de  tomb.  I'll  go  an'  git  de  board,  an'  show  ye." 
So  off  she.  ran,  and  soon  returned  with  a  board,  on 
which  was  pasted  a  manuscript  "  bill  of  fare."  We 
by  this  time  descended  the  steps.  "Dar,  gen'lemen," 
said  Sally,  "  now  you  stan'  in  de  bery  spot  whar  de 
great  Napoleon  lay :  he  was  buried  wid  his  head  to 
de  Nort',  an'  his  feet  to  de  Sout'.  He  had  on  his 
green  uniform ;  his  arms  was  crossed  on  his  breast 
so  (suiting  the  action  to  the  word,  with  a  consequen- 
tial air)  ;  an'  his  cap  an'  his  sword  was  laid  on  his 
stomach.  He  was  buried  in  four  coffins  :  de  fust  was 
mahogany,  de  secon'  was  lead,  de  t'ird  was  deal,  and 
de  fourt'  was  a  black  cloff  ober  de  whole,  wid  gold 


404  FIVE  YEAES   IN   CHINA. 

tassels  a  hangin'  down,  an'  a  stone  slab  was  ober  de 
top.  He  used  to  come  here  an'  set  down  under  dese 
two  willows ;  an'  one  day  he  got  asleep  here,  an'  he 
dreamed  his  Josephine  was  buried  here ;  an'  always 
after  dat,  he  said  if  he  died  on  de  islan',  he  wanted 
to  be  buried  jus'  here'  in  dis  bery  spot.  When  dey 
dug  him  up,  dey  begun  at  twelve  o'clock  in  de  night, 
an'  didn't  git  done  till  eight  o'clock  de  next  mornin'." 
Here  our  friend,  Captain  Kennedy,  interrupted  her, 
saying,  "  What's  that  nonsense  you  are  telling  there, 
Sally  ?  They  didn't  get  through  till  noon.7'  "  Wal, 
may  be  dey  didn't  till  nine  or  ten  o'clock,  or  some- 
whar  along  dar."  "I  tell  you  it  was  quite  noon 
when  they  finished."  "  Wall,"  rejoined  Sally,  "  you 
ought  to  know,  cap'n,  for  you  was  de  officer  ob  de 
day.  ISTow,  gen'lemen,  come  an'  see  de  water  in  de 
spring."  This  is  a  natural  basin,  about  two  feet  in 
diameter,  at  the  foot  of  a  perpendicular  rock  in  the 
side  of  the  hill,  just  outside  the  paling,  and  two  or 
three  rods  from  the  tomb.  The  water  is  beautifully 
clear,  and  is  said  to  be  the  best  on  the  island.  "  Dis 
is  de  water  Napoleon  always  drunk  ;  de  didn't  drink 
no  oder  water  on  de  islan' ;  he  had  it  brought  from 
dis  bery  spring  ebry  day.  De  fee,  gen'lemen,  is  one- 
and-sixpence  a  head."  We  each  drank  a  tumblerful, 
and  it  was  a  luxury  I  had  not  tasted  for  nearly  six 
years,  having  been  confined  to  the  offensive  creek 
and  river  water  of  China,  except  when  we  could  get 
rain-water,  which  was  not  always.  Sally  ran  through 
the  several  items  of  information  above  narrated  with 
the  mechanical  ease  and  indifference  of  one  who  has 
repeated  the  same  story  for  the  thousandth  time. 
She  laid  an  emphasis  upon  the  "  one-and-sixpence 


PRISON   OF   THE   FIRST   NAPOLEON.  405 

a  head  "  which  showed  she  regarded  it  far  more 
necessary  than  all  the  rest,  and  accordingly  she  lost 
no  opportunity  of  impressing  that  interesting  par- 
ticular upon  our  memories ;  from  which  we  inferred 
that  perhaps  some  of  her  visitors  had  occasionally 
forgotten  the  important  lesson.  Her  anxieties  on 
this  point  being  allayed,  she  said:  "  Now,  gen'lemen, 
please  to  walk  up  to  dat  little  house  up  yonder,  an' 
write  yer  name  in  de  book  dar."  Which  request 
being  duly  complied  with,  we  remounted  our  horses, 
and  ascending,  by  a  zig-zag  path,  the  steep,  grassy 
hill  opposite  the  one  by  which  we  came  down  to  the 
tomb,  we  rode  on  toward  "  Longwood,"  which  is  a 
mile  and  three-quarters  further.  Stopping,  if  you  like, 
for  a  few  minutes  at  a  house  of  refreshment,  on  the 
top  of  the  hill — once  the  residence  of  Count  Montho- 
Ion — you  again  enter  the  main  road  at  "  Hutt's  Gate," 
and  ride  along  a  ridge,  with  the  beautiful  "  Yale  of 
Arno"  on  the  right.  This  enchanting  valley,  one 
would  think,  must  well  sustain  the  reputation  of  its 
celebrated  namesake  in  Italy.  The  charming  little 
cottages  and  villas,  embowered  in  trees  and  shrub- 
bery, scattered  about  on  knolls  and  hill-sides;  the 
grassy  slopes,  and  dense  patches  of  copsewood ;  the 
pretty  lawns  and  meadows,  producing  abundant 
crops  of  hay,  which  is  stacked  up  here  and  there ; 
the  sheep  and  cattle,  feeding  quietly,  or  reposing  be- 
neath some  beautiful  tree,  present  altogether  a  most 
lovely  scene,  and  a  very  striking  contrast  to  the  bar- 
ren, rugged  sides  of  the  "  Devil's  Punch-Bowl  "  and 
"Rupert's  Valley,"  which  soon  appear  in  sight,  on 
the  left  of  the  ridge  on  which  you  are  riding.  You 
soon   reach    "Longwoocl."      Occupying    a    porter's 


406  FIVE   YEARS   IN   CHINA. 

lodge,  at  the  gate  opening  into  the  spacious  grounds, 
is  an  old  soldier  of  Wellington's  army  at  Waterloo. 
Hiding  through  a  wide  avenue  of  pretty  greensward, 
in  many  places  well  shaded  with  trees,  you  come  to 
the  house  in  which  Napoleon  lived  and  died.  It  is 
rented,  or  farmed,  by  the  British  Government  to  a 
person  who  exacts  a  fee  of  two  shillings — about  half 
a  dollar — from  each  visitor ;  and  yet  the  whole  place 
is  suffered  to  fall  into  decay.  The  house  is  of  one 
story,  shaped  like  an  L ;  has  a  high,  steep  roof,  and 
stands  with  the  gable-end — in  which  is  the  door,  and 
a  window  on  each  side — looking  toward  the  road. 
It  is  now  used  as  a  barn ;  the  glass  in  the  windows 
is  broken,  the  walls  and  ceiling  are  defaced,  and  all 
scratched,  chalked,  or  charcoaled  over  with  the 
names  of  numerous  visitors,  who  are  ambitious  of 
notoriety,  and  can  acquire  it  in  no  other  way  than  by 
leaving  their  illustrious  autographs  in  public  places. 
This  is  also  the  case  with  the  plastered  walls  of  the 
vault  in  which  the  distinguished  exile  was  entombed. 
That  which  was  formerly  his  dining-room  is  now  a 
granary,  with  a  heap  of  straw  in  one  corner,  and  the 
place  where  his  table  once  stood  is  now  occupied  by  a 
fanning-mill.  In  this  room,  also,  he  died,  on  a  sofa, 
and  not  on  a  bed,  as  usually  represented  in  pictures  of 
the  scene.  A  stone  was  taken  at  the  time,  by  Count 
Bertrand,  from  the  wall  near  the  head  of  the  sofa,  at 
the  side  of  a  window,  and  the  vacancy  still  remains. 
The  door  leading  from  this  room  into  his  bedroom 
has  been  walled  up,  and  the  latter  apartment  is  now 
used  for  a  stable.  At  the  time  of  our  visit,  it  was 
tenanted  by  two  horses  and  four  oxen.  Are  these 
shameful  indignities  permitted  by  the  British  Gov- 


PKISON   OF   THE   FIRST   NAPOLEON.  407 

eminent  to  gratify  a  petty  revenge  against  their  fallen 
enemy?  The  only  thing  said  to  be  remaining  just  as 
Napoleon  left  it,  is  what  is  called  his  fish-pond.  This 
term  is  apt  to  mislead  one  as  to  its  size  ;  for  it  is  only 
a  very  small  semicircular  reservoir  or  pool,  with  per- 
pendicular sides  of  hewn  stone,  perhaps  fifteen  feet 
between  its  two  extremities,  and  about  eight  feet 
wide.  Its  form  is  determined  by  two  concentric 
semicircles,  having  the  ends  united  by  straight  walls, 
the  space  between  being  filled  with  water.  All  the 
central  part  within  the  inner  semicircle  is  laid  with 
solid  masonry.  This  figure  is  too  geometrically  exact 
for  any  pretension  to  natural  beauty,  and  was  evi- 
dently modelled  after  some  part  of  a  fortification 
where  a  cannon  may  stand  in  the  centre,  and,  revolv- 
ing on  a  pivot,  describe  a  semicircular  curve,  which 
would  enable  it  to  command,  in  its  sweeping  range, 
a  very  wide  extent  of  country.  There  is  probably  a 
technical  name  that  would  convey  the  precise  idea  in 
a  single  word,  but  I  am  not  sufficiently  familiar  with 
the  fiomenclature  militaire  to  give  it.  If  you  are, 
you  may  substitute  it  for  the  foregoing  bungling 
attempt  at  description. 

The  fish  in  this  pool  sickened  and  died,  probably 
from  the  accidental  mingling  of  some  poisonous  in- 
gredient with  the  water,  and  it  is  quite  affecting  to 
read  the  remark  of  Napoleon  on  the  occurrence  : 
"Everything  that  I  love — everything  that  belongs 
to  me,  is  stricken.  Heaven  and  man  unite  to  afflict 
me." 

A  few  rods  off  stands  the  "New  House,"  which 
wTas  built  and  furnished  at  great  expense  by  the  Brit- 
ish  Government,  expressly  for  their  prisoner  ;   but 


408  FIVE  YEAKS   IN   CHINA. 

for  some  unknown  cause — probably  offended  pride — 
Napoleon  would  never  set  foot  within  its  walls.  It 
is  of  one  story,  contains  a  large  suite  of  spacious 
rooms,  and  is  beautifully  situated  on  a  gentle  decli- 
vity, with  a  fine  view  of  the  ocean  in  front,  which 
seems  gradually  to  ascend  like  a  vast  hill,  as  it 
stretches  far  away  to  the  west,  till  it  blends  with  the 
sky;  the  linejDf  the  horizon  not  being  visible  in  the 
dim  distance.  This  house  is  vacant,  and  is  also 
allowed  to  go  to  ruin. 

Returning  from  "  Longwood,"  you  again  pas£  along 
the  mountainous  ridge  overlooking  the  sweet  "  Yale 
of  Arno,"  and  continue  your  ride  on  the  fine  car- 
riage-roads that  traverse  the  island  in  every  direction, 
and  are  kept  in  excellent  repair  by  an  annual  appro- 
priation by  the  Government.  Now  you  ascend  steep 
hills  ;  some  barren  and  rocky,  others  clothed  with 
verdure  and  affording  excellent  pasturage  for  sheep 
and  cattle ;  and  then  you  descend  into  valleys  of 
exuberant  fertility,  having  their  sides  carpeted  with 
tall,  thick  grass,  which  you  see  mowers,  off  there  on 
the  right,  cutting  for  hay.  How  natural  it  looks, 
lying  in  long  lines  or  swaths  across  the  hillside 
meadows,  or  spread  out  to  dry,  or  gathered  into 
stacks,  such  as  you  often  see  in  a  fine  grazing  country 
at  home.  Then,  again,  you  cross  deep  ravines,  with 
little  streams  of  limpid  water  gleaming  so  merrily  in 
the  sunshine,  as  they  ripple,  and  trip,  and  dash,  and 
tumble  along  over  the  pebbly  bottom ;  now  under 
the  shade  of  overhanging  willows ;  now  among  thick 
beds  of  watercresses,  as  if  playing  hide  and  seek 
with  the  sun,  in  all  the  wild  recklessness  of  uncon- 
trollable delight.     Oh !  what  a  beautiful  picture  of 


PRISON   OF  THE   FIEST   NAPOLEON.  409 

glad  and  joyous,  gleeful  childhood !  You  almost 
fancy  they  are  conscious  of  happiness,  and  are  danc- 
ing, and  sparkling,  and  throwing  up  their  little  shin- 
ing drops  for  very  wantonness  of  overflowing  joy. 

Your  road  is  frequently  crossed  by  gates,  which 
are  the  continuations  of  fences  or  hedges — the  boun- 
dary lines  between  farms  or  plantations.  You  may 
often  ride  up  to  these  hedges  and  banks  by  the  road- 
side and  eat  blackberries  in  abundance,  without  leav- 
ing your  saddle.  Reaching  the  top  of  a  certain 
ridge,  the  charming  valley  of  "Sandy  Bay"  bursts 
all  at  once  upon  your  sight,  and  is  scarcely,  if  any, 
less  beautiful — some  think  it  more  so — than  the 
Vale  of  Arno,  which  it  much  resembles  in  its  gen- 
eral features.  Looking  across  this  valley  to  the  rug- 
ged, barren  hill  beyond,  you  see,  about  half  way  up, 
an  isolated  rock,  bearing  some  likeness  to  a  human 
form  ;  then,  somewhat  further  on,  and  nearer  the  top, 
are  three  others,  all  apparently  ascending  the  hill. 
The  former  is  called  "Lot's  wife;"  and  the  latter, 
"Lot  and  his  two  daughters."  After  stopping  a 
while  to  gaze  upon  this  magnificent  panorama,  of 
which  the  boundless  ocean  fills  the  background,  you 
continue  your  ride  along  the  side  hill,  with  the  valley 
on  your  left,  and  soon  enter  a  thick,  sombre  pine  for- 
est, the  trees  on  one  side  towering  up  the  almost  per- 
pendicular steeps  above  your  head;  and,  on  the 
other,  flanking  the  equally  precipitous  sides  far  be- 
neath. Emerging  from  this  dark  wood,  on,  on  you 
go,  with  the  same  ever-changing  variety  of  scene 
before  described,  till  at  last  you  reach  the  country- 
residence  of  the  governor,  "  Plantation-House." 

By  the  roadside  stands  a  large  gate,  which  a  por- 
18 


410  FIVE   YEARS   IN"   CHINA. 

ter,  coining  out  of  his  lodge  just  within,  opens  for 
your  entrance.  The  house  is  a  square,  two-story, 
stone  building,  of  light-brown,  with  four  windows  on 
each  side  of  the  front-door,  in  the  lower  story,  and 
Dine,  extending  along  the  wmole  front,  in  the  second. 
The  grounds  are  tastefully  and  elegantly  laid  out,  and 
are  filled  with  the  choicest  and  most  beautiful  shrub- 
bery, trees,  and  flowers.  It  commands  a  fine  view 
of  the  sea  to  the  northwest,  between  the  hills  rising 
on  the  right  and  left.  On  an  elevation  above,  and  in 
the  rear  of  the  premises  is  a  neat  stone  church,  in  the 
Gothic  style  of  architecture.  It  is  called  the  u  coun- 
try church,"  and  was  erected  for  the  convenience  of 
His  Excellency  and  family,  at  a  cost  of  twenty-five 
thousand  dollars. 

It  seems  that  our  obliging  friend,  Captain  Kennedy, 
had,  by  malice  prepense  and  aforethought,  without  our 
knowledge  or  suspicion,  deliberately,  and  with  design, 
devised,  schemed,  planned,  and  prepared  beforehand, 
one  of  those  dangerous  snares  for  unwary  travellers, 
called  a  good  dinner,  at  his  neat  little  cottage,  now 
not  far  distant,  to  which  he  next  conducted  us,  where, 
wTith  his  hospitable  family  of  wife  and  daughters,  he 
very  kindly  and  agreeably  entertained  us  till  we  were 
reminded,  by  the  declining  sun,  that  we  had  yet 
three  and  a  half  miles  of  rugged  road  to  travel,  ter- 
minating with  that  fearful  descent  of  "  Ladder  Hill," 
before  we  could  reach  the  residence  of  our  kind  host, 
W.  Carroll,  Esq.,  formerly  for  many  years  United 
States  Consul  for  the  island.  To  George  W.  Kim- 
ball, Esq.,  also,  the  present  consul,  we  were  indebted 
for  very  many  kind  and  special  attentions.  We  ar- 
rived just  before  dark,  and  then  one  of  our  party — 


PRISON   OF   THE   FIRST   NAPOLEON.  411 

the  writer — was  expected  to  take  tea  with  the  family 
of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Bertram,  and  afterward  to  give  his 
congregation,  in  the  Mission  Chapel,  some  account  of 
the  wonderful  work  of  God  in  connection  with  recent 
events  in  China.  He  met  a  circle  of  friends  at  the 
conclusion  of  the  service,  and  spent  an  hour  longer 
in  pleasant  converse  with  these  dear  disciples  of  our 
common  Saviour,  in  the  "lone,  barren  isle."  Dr. 
Bertram  and  his  family  loaded  me  with  messages  of 
love  to  their  many  friends  in  the  United  States, 
whose  kindness  seems  to  have  made  a  deep  and  in- 
delible impression  upon  their  hearts ;  and  by  whose 
timely  aid  they  are  enabled  to  build  two  new  chapels, 
both  of  which  are  already  commenced.  One  is  ad- 
joining the  Mission-house  in  Jamestown,  and  the 
other  on  a  beautful  site  called  "  Knollcombe,"  near 
"Rose  Bower,"  two  or  three  miles  distant."  To  this 
spot,  by  the  invitation  of  Dr.  Bertram,  on  the  next 
morning  I  accompanied  him  and  his  assistant,  the 
Rev.  Hudson  R.  Janisch.  Dr.  Bertram  had  provided 
for  me  an  excellent  horse,  and  away  we  started,  up 
the  narrow  gorge  leading  out  of  the  town,  overzizzag 
roads,  similar  to  those  we  travelled  yesterday.  Again 
you  pass  in  sight  of  "The  Briars,"  on  your  left. 
Little  vegetation  is  seen  till  you  reach  a  place  of 
high,  grassy,  and  nearly  level  table-land,  called 
"  Francis'  Plain,"  which  is  used  as  a  parade-ground 
by  some  of  the  troops  on  the  island.  Off  to  the 
northeast  rises  the  elevation  known  as  "  Halley's 
Mount,"  so  named  from  the  celebrated  astronomer 
who  came  here,  nearly  two  hundred  years  ago,  to  ob- 
serve the  transit  of  Yenus.  Apropos  of  astronomers, 
let  me  here  mention  that  one  of  my  companions,  Mr. 


412  FIVE    YEARS   IN   CHINA. 

Janisch,  is  an  own  cousin  to  the  equally  celebrated 
Prussian  astronomer.  Professor  Encke,  of  Berlin,  the 
discoverer   of    "Encke's   Comet."      Halley   is   also 
doubtless  more  generally  known  as  the  discoverer  of 
"  Halley's  Comet,"  than  from  u  Halley's  Mount,"  in 
St.  Helena ;  though  during  his  three  years'  residence 
here  he  made  many  valuable  contributions  to  astrono- 
mical science.     We  will   now  leave  the  stars,  and 
proceed  on  our  way  across  "  Francis'  Plain,"  through 
a  wood,  down  the  side  of  a  hill,  around  the  upper 
extremity  of  a  grassy  ravine,  up  the  opposite  hillside, 
about  half  way  to  the  top,  to  "  Knollcombe,"  once 
the  residence  of  the  deputy-governor  of  the  island. 
This  delightful  place,  embracing  several  acres,  seems 
to  have  been  reserved,  through  a  variety  of  fortunes, 
by  a  chain  of  singular  providences,  for  its  present  use, 
and   is  but  a  short   distance  from   "  Kose  Bower," 
where  the  nucleus  of  the  society  in  this  neighborhood 
was  first  formed.     The  material  for  a  country  church 
and  parsonage  is  already  on  the  ground,  and  in  one 
corner  of  the  farm  is  a  lovely  plot  of  sloping  green- 
sward, surrounded  by  trees,  and  set  apart  for  the  mis- 
sion cemetery.     It  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  and 
suitable  spots  for  such  a  purpose  on  the  whole  island, 
<»f  which  it  is  near  the  centre.     Returning  to  town,  I 
bade  our  kind  friends  farewell,  with  unfeigned  sad- 
ness of  heart,  and  soon  after,  repairing  to  our  ship, 
we  spread  our  canvas  to  the  breeze,  and  sailed  away 
Hum  St.  Helena.     Long  and  sorrowfully  did  I  sit  on 
i!.e  quarter-deck,  and  gaze  on  its  outline,  becoming 
t.  very  moment  less  distinct,  while  its  intensely  inter- 
i  siing  scenes  and  associations,  and  its  newly-formed 
friendships,   are   pencilled   upon    my   memory   and 


PKISON   OF  THE  FIRST  NAPOLEON.  413 

graven  in  my  heart  in  lines  which  nothing  can  efface 
till  the  dim  haze  of  death  shall,  in  like  manner,  ob- 
scure the  horizon  of  the  soul.  The  sim  has  gone 
down  ;  the  pale  moon  peers  mournfully  through  the 
clouds ;  the  land  has  disappeared  ;  and  here  we  are 
once  more  a  floating  speck,  with  only  the  firmament 
above,  and  this  wide,  wide  world  of  waters  all 
around. 


I 


THE    END.